I'm coming home
by wendyonmyown
Summary: Takes place a couple of months after 707. Catherine is in parts unknown when her father is brutally attacked and has to return home to Hawaii. The team begin a new case as they attempt to find the culprit/s before NCIS can find them. (This is a new story and doesn't tie in with my other AU story.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is set a couple of months after 707. Catherine is in parts unknown when her father is brutally attacked causing her to return home to Hawaii. A new case will start for the team as they attempt to track down the culprit/s before NCIS can solve the case.**

 **I'm totally a McRoll fan, so don't expect anything but a McRoll end game.**

 **I'm still working on my Danny and Gabby story, so don't worry I haven't forgotten them.**

 **…**

Iolani Palace.

The five members of the task force were stood around the smart table as they discussed the case they had just wrapped up when the sound of footsteps caused them to look up. Two men approached down the corridor leading towards the bullpen. They were both dressed in slacks and shirts with a windbreaker jacket bearing the logo for NCIS.

"Commander McGarrett?" One of the men called out.

"Yeah, what can I do for NCIS?" Steve asked as he turned more fully to look at the two agents.

"Special Agent Barnes and Probationary Agent Jackson, we need to ask you a few questions." Agent Barnes said as the two men presented their ids to the Commander.

"About what?" Steve asked as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back against the smart table.

"Your name has come up in connection to an investigation we are working on." Barnes explained.

"What's the investigation?" Steve asked him.

"We're looking in to a serious assault." Jackson added.

"Would you care to be a little more informative. Who's your vic and what exactly do you need to know?" Steve asked in frustration.

"Where were you yesterday evening between the hours of six and ten?" Barnes asked.

"In the basement questioning our suspect." Steve told him with a hint of amusement. "And, absolutely nothing to do with the Navy."

"Try interrogating the suspect, Steven." Danny said as he grinned at his partner.

"You still haven't answered who your victim is." Steve pointed out.

"Captain Patrick Rollins, his phone records show he's called you four times in the past week and that you were the last call before his assault." Jackson told them.

Steve's head snapped up at the mention of the name. "How is he?" He asked in concern.

"Why did he call?" Barnes asked, ignoring the Commander's question.

"Wait a minute?" Danny said as he rounded on Steve. "Rollins?"

Steve ignored Danny and focussed on the two federal agents in front of him. "Patrick called to say he was taking a position at Pearl earlier in the week. I spoke to him yesterday afternoon and we arranged to meet up for a few beers."

"You didn't answer?" Danny complained a little more loudly.

"Catherine's dad." Steve explained to the team before turning back to the NCIS agents. "His daughter and I are old friends." He told them as amused snorts came from behind him.

"Try ex-girlfriend." Danny said under his breath. "And why were you arranging to have drinks with your ex's dad?" Danny asked his friend.

"Will you shut up." Steve growled out as he shot his partner a glare. No way was Steve telling Danny what he had spoken to Patrick about. "Is he at Tripler?" Steve asked as he pulled the keys for his new car out of his pocket and headed towards the doors.

"Yes." Jackson said as he watched the Commander walk past him.

"Commander?" Barnes shouted after the retreating back of the SEAL Commander they had been questioning just moments ago.

"I'd follow as quickly as you can if I was you." Chin said as he watched the doors close behind his brother.

"McGarrett don't wait for no one." Lou explained with a chuckle as he watched the two NCIS agents jog down the corridor to find Steve.

The four remaining members of Five-0 looked at each as they all silently tried to work out what was going on. The silence was broken as Chin's cell began to ring. Pulling it out his pocket he checked the caller id.

"It's Steve." He announced as he answered the call. "Aloha."

 _"_ _Put me on speaker." Steve announced as he drove through the streets of Honolulu as he made his way towards the highway._

"What's going on?" Danny asked as Chin placed the cell phone on the smart table.

 _"_ _Look I need you to do this for me and not ask any questions." Steve said quickly averting Danny's questions. "Chin I'm sending you Patrick's number, see what you can get from his phone records. Danny take Kono and head over to the Navy lodge, Patrick's staying there till he can find a place for Elizabeth and himself near the base. See if you can get into his room, try not to tip NCIS off just yet. I'll try to get a little more information about the assault." Steve said as he fired of his orders._

"What do you need me to do?" Lou asked.

 _"_ _Get in touch with Duke, see if HPD responded to Patrick's assault. If they did I want every detail they took and get me the officers that responded to the call, I want them in my office when I get back." Steve ordered the other man. "Keep an eye on flight manifests for Elizabeth, let me know when she's arriving."_

"You got it, we got your back on this one." Lou told him.

 _"_ _Mahalo." Steve thanked them._

"Keep in touch." Danny said before Steve could end the call.

"Do we call Cath?" Kono asked as she looked around at her three male colleagues.

"No." Danny suddenly said with a shake of his head. "Let her mother make the phone call." He said bitterly. He was still angry with the way Catherine had left things with Steve. He knew Steve was more at ease and did seem happier, almost his old self after he had returned from rescuing his mother. Steve had confided in Danny that he'd had a talk with Catherine and they had cleared the air. He had told him that Catherine had given him her blessing to move on and be happy with Lyn. Danny only hoped that Steve would do it.

…..

Tripler Army Medical Centre

Steve entered the ICU cubicle and looked at the badly beaten body of Catherine's father. He swallowed as he stepped closer and took the seat beside the bed. Reaching his hand out he took the other man's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. A quick look around the room helped him to catalogue most of the injuries he was sure the other man was suffering from. He took in the splint on his wrist and the stark white bandages that covered most of Patricks head. Steve could see a multitude of bandages and chest drains as the monitors beeped and hissed keeping the other man alive.

Steve tensed as he heard movement behind him, his hand going to the weapon at his hip. He turned only to find the two NCIS agents stood in the entrance of the ICU cubicle. "Can you tell what you know?" Steve asked them as they stepped into the cubicle with him.

"He was found this morning a short distance from the Arizona memorial." Agent Barnes said as he began filling in the Commander on the basics of the crime. He hoped that by explaining a few details of the assault it might get him some information from the decorated officer before him.

Steve took in all the information he could, he had every intention of running his own Five-0 investigation into Patricks assault. The older man had always been nice to him from the day Catherine had introduced them. He had never judged or pushed Steve in his relationship with his daughter, he'd merely accepted that they would always do things their own way. He sighed as he realised he had a phone call to make, he had to let Catherine know about her father.

"You're looking for more than one person." Steve announced as the two agents finished speaking.

"Why do you say that, Commander?" Barnes asked as he looked at the Commader where he was sat near the bed.

"Patrick was more than capable of taking care himself if this is just a random assault." Steve explained. "He's kept himself in tip top condition since he came of active duty. No way would one punk have been able to do this to him."

"We'll look in to that." Barnes agreed.

"Mahalo." Steve said as he took another look at the man in the bed as he pulled his cell from his pocket and began looking through his call list. "I need to phone his daughter, let her know what's happened." Steve explained to them.

"We can do that for you." Barnes said as he pulled a pad from his pocket and flicked it open. "What's the number?"

Steve shook his head; he knew the chance of Catherine still being in a foreign country on assignment were extremely high. He didn't want to worry her and cause her to slip up. "No. It will be better if it comes from me."

….

Undisclosed location.

Catherine felt her cell phone vibrate against her leg as she slowly and carefully made her way back to her hide out. She'd managed to wrap up her mission and was heading back to base to pack up so she could ship out. She longed for the sight of the ocean, allowing her mind to wander slightly as she conjured up Steve stepping from the ocean as he had so many times in the past. It had been 2 months since they had said their goodbyes, two long months of silent tears and heartache as she pictured the new woman in his life. Her heart ached for what she'd lost when she had left last year.

Checking her surrounding's to make sure she hadn't been followed she slipped into the abandoned warehouse that she had been using as her base of operations for the past two months. She made her way through the warehouse and up the creaky stairwell at the back of the building, constantly scanning her surroundings to ensure she was alone. She slipped into the office and headed towards the back of the room, moving the old cabinet aside and pulling her back pack, duffel and bedroll from the hole in the wall.

She pulled her cell from her pocket to check on who the call had come from, assuming it was her handler with her extraction information. She gasped in surprise when she saw Steve's name on the missed caller display. Her heart began to beat faster as she realised that he had left her a voice message. Opening the voice message, she closed her eyes as she listened to his voice.

 _"_ _Hey Cath, I guess you must still be in the field. I need to speak with you, call me back as soon as it's safe for you. It's important Catherine. Aloha." Steve said._

He sounded a little distracted and upset and Catherine had to wonder what was wrong for him to call her like he had. She hit the call key and waited for him to answer her call, a thousand thoughts flashing through her mind.

" _Hey Cath, thanks for calling me back." He said as the call was answered_.

"Hey Sailor, what's wrong?" She asked picking up the hurt and tiredness in his voice.

 _"_ _Are you safe, can you talk?" He asked in concern._

"Yeah, I'm just packing my gear ready for extraction." Catherine told him, knowing he would understand her. "What's going on Steve? Where are you?" She asked as she heard faint noises coming from the background.

 _"_ _I'm at Tripler." He told her._

"Are you okay?" She asked in concern, her worry surfacing at his words.

 _"_ _I'm fine, I'm not hurt." He was quick to reassure her._

"O my god, Danny, one of the team?" She got out her gut tightening at the thought one of her friends could be seriously hurt or worse.

"The teams fine." He assured her. "Your dad's been hurt, he's pretty bad Cath. You need to come home." He told her gently.

"I'm on my way." She said as she quickly gathered her things together and prepared to leave the warehouse. "I don't know how long it will take me. I need you to do something for me, Steve."

"I'll stay with him, Cath." He assured her.

"Thanks, is my mom there yet?" She asked as she moved towards the door.

"Not yet, she's in the air. Danny's picking her up from the airport when her flight lands." He said as he explained the arrangements to her.

"Tell Danny thank you for me. I'll be there as soon as I can, Steve." Catherine assured him as she sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall as she thought about her father.

"Let me know your flight details when you have them, I'll pick you up." Steve told her.

"You don't have to; I can take a cab from the airport." Catherine was quick to tell him.

"I'll pick you up, Cath." Steve said firmly leaving no room for argument.

"I'll text you when I've got a flight. Mahalo, Steve." She said as she disconnected the call

"I'll see you when you land, stay safe." He told her softly before bidding her goodbye. "Aloha."

"Aloha." She said softly as she ended the call and replaced her cell in her pocket. She took a moment to gather herself before shouldering her gear and heading down the stairs to make her extraction.

….


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for taking the time to leave all the great reviews.**

 **Elizabeth Rollins arrives on the Island, but Steve's still waiting for Catherine to come home in this chapter. Danny gets to have a talk with Mom Rollins and gets to see a few things from a different angle.**

 **I don't own any of them because if I did, Steve and Cath would already be endgame. I'm just taking them all out to play.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Wendy x**

Honolulu International airport.

Danny leaned against the side of the Camaro as he waited for Elizabeth Rollins to arrive. Her flight had landed 30 minutes ago and a quick call to Steve had confirmed that she knew where Danny would be waiting for her. He scanned the crowds looking for her, Steve's only description of the woman; Catherine takes after her you won't be able to miss her.

Danny spotted a woman that could certainly be no one else but the mother of Catherine Rollins. Her hair was brown speckled with grey and cut into a short stylish bob. Her face bore the same chiselled features of her daughter. "Mrs Rollins?" Danny called out as he stepped away from the curb to great the older woman.

"Yes." Elizabeth confirmed as she came to a stop in front of the blond-haired man with the Jersey accent.

"Detective Danny Williams, Five-0 task force." Danny greeted pleasantly as he held his hand out to shake. "I work with…"

"Steven." She finished for him with a small smile. "He told you would be waiting outside for me. Catherine has mentioned you a lot when we've spoken. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Detective Williams." She told him as she took his offered hand.

"Please call me Danny, and I'm sorry that it's under these circumstances." Danny told her as he took the bags from her and placed them into the trunk of his car before opening the passenger door for her.

"Thank you." She said as she climbed into the car and fastened her seat belt. "Would you mind taking me to the hospital?"

"Steve's meeting us there, he told Catherine he'd stay with him till you arrived." Danny said trying not to let his bitterness show through in his words.

"And I'm very grateful for that." Elizabeth replied as she studied the man beside her. "You resent my daughter?"

"What?" Danny stammered as the question took him by surprise.

"Do you?" She asked more firmly.

"I'm angry with the way she's treated Steve." Danny explained without looking at her.

"You know it's easy for you to blame Catherine for everything that's gone on, have you ever thought about all the times Steven left Catherine while he was working in the teams." She pointed out. "All those years they were together, the lack of commitment on his part."

"That's different." Danny managed to get out before Elizabeth cut him of once again.

"Steven has spent many years putting his work before Catherine, and my daughter always has understood his need to be there for his team. The job has always come first for him, is it wrong that Catherine felt the need to build something on her own." Elizabeth snapped.

"She just upped and left after spending a whole year away, Steve was going to propose." Danny snapped back at her.

Elizabeth gasped at the small bit of news. She took a deep breath and let it out as she calmed her breathing. "Maybe he should have asked sooner, that way she might not have left in the first place."

Danny opened his mouth and closed it several times, not a sound coming out as he mulled over Elizabeth's final words. He himself had told Steve the morning of Catherine's departure to just put the ring on her finger.

…..

Tripler Army medical centre.

Steve was still sat in the same uncomfortable chair he'd been occupying on and off for the last four hours as he listened to the machines beep and hiss around him. He checked his cell in case Catherine had texted him, sighing in frustration when he found none. He'd spent a lot of time re-playing his conversation with Catherine, his heart had begun to beat faster the minute he'd seen her face pop up on the caller display. He could hear the tiredness in her voice as they had talked and wanted nothing more than to have her home safe where she could sleep.

He glanced at Patrick laying in the bed. "You need to keep fighting, Patrick. Catherine's on her way home to see you." Steve whispered into the quiet of the room. "I don't want to see her hurting the way I did when my dad died."

There was no response from the older man and Steve sighed, glancing at his phone once again. A smile lit inside him as he noticed he'd received a text from Catherine. He quickly opened the text eager to see when she was arriving.

 **"** **My flight lands at 1800 hrs. I can take a cab from the airport if you can't make it. How is he?"**

Dam the woman could be stubborn, Steve thought to himself as he typed his reply. "I'll be there. Your moms on her way from the airport, I've just spoken to her half hour ago. Your dads still unconscious, no change either way. That's a good thing, right? Don't worry about booking a hotel, I've got it covered."

He hit send and waited hoping she would reply to his text. The ringing of his cell surprised him as he saw Catherine's face appear on his caller display. He answered the call bringing the phone to his ear as he heard her voice. "Hey Cath."

 _"_ _Hey Sailor." She greeted making him smile at her words._

"I'll meet you at the baggage reclaim." He assured her.

 _"_ _So where have you booked me in to?" She asked him curiously._

"Don't worry it's all arranged." He told her cryptically.

 _"_ _Steve?" She urged wondering exactly what he had planned._

"How soon till you board?" He asked, as he heard a final boarding call echoing in the back ground.

 _"_ _As soon as I hang up." She told him, reluctant to end the conversation._

"Hey Patrick, you want to wake up and say hello to your daughter?" Steve called out so Catherine could hear his words. "She's ready to board her flight."

 _"_ _Tell him I love him and I'll see him real soon." Catherine said as she sniffed back a few tears._

"I will do, have a good flight." Steve urged her. "Try to get some shut eye, I'm sure you need it." He was all too familiar with the lack of sleep during a mission.

 _"_ _It's on the top of my list, along with food. I have to go there waiting to close the gate." She got out quickly, the sounds of rustling indicating she was gathering her belongings._

"Aloha." He told her softly as he ended the call. He held the phone in his hands a moment longer as he stared at the photo. Steve smiled as he remembered the photo being taken at Kono's wedding, Catherine had looked sensational in that blue dress. He'd been going through some old files on his laptop when he'd come across the file Kono had sent him a short while after the wedding. Steve had not even opened the file, a part of him not wanting to pull the scab of the wound that had been Catherine.

"Catherine says to tell you she loves you and will be here soon." Steve told Patrick, the man who Steve felt should have been his father-in-law.

A noise in the corridor drew his attention away from bed as he turned to see Danny showing Elizabeth into the ICU cubicle her husband was in. He slipped his phone into his pocket as he stood up and greeted Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth." He said as he embraced her and gave her a quick squeeze. "It's good to see you again.

"You too Steven, Is there any change?" She asked as she stepped back from his embrace and moved towards the bed to lean over and gently kiss her husband.

"No, no change. I'll go and get his Doctor so he can update you, he's been a little vague with me because I'm not next of kin." Steve explained as he moved towards the door.

"Thank you." She called out to him before he could leave the cubicle. "Have you heard from Catherine yet?"

Steve stopped and turned around to answer her. "Yeah, she was just about to board. She's coming in on a flight this evening."

Elizabeth nodded her head to indicate she'd heard him as she sank into the chair Steve had been occupying when she had entered.

Danny followed Steve out of the cubicle as he made his way towards the nurse's station to request a visit from the Doctor for Elizabeth.

"Everything okay?" Steve asked Danny who was unusually quiet.

"Yeah. She's pretty vocal." Danny said as he indicated to where Elizabeth was sat with her husband.

"Yeah." Steve agreed as he thought about all the questions Catherine and himself had fielded from Elizabeth over the years.

"I'm wondering what Lyn will think about all this." Danny voiced his concerns as he gestured around him.

"It doesn't concern her." Steve's head snapped up to look at Danny as growled out the words before he turned back to speak to the nurse behind the desk and ignoring the puzzled expression on his friend's face.

"Of course it does, you idiot." Danny snapped at Steve. "Your ex is back on the Island with her parents and your running around playing happy families."

"Lyn and I are over, okay." Steve told him before turning and walking away from his stunned friend.

….


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for everyone who left such wonderful reviews.**

 **Catherine's finally home in this chapter and she gets to do a little snooping with a few surprises. Steve and Catherine also get to have a talk.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Honolulu International Airport.

Steve pulled into the parking spot and climbed out of his car, he swallowed nervously as he engaged the lock and headed into the terminal. Ignoring the thronging crowd, he moved through the mass of tourists and military personnel that swarmed the terminal building as he moved towards baggage reclaim.

He knew he was a little early, Catherine's flight had only landed ten minutes previously. He scanned the boards for her flight and headed in the direction of the carousel her luggage would come off. After ten minutes of waiting he heard the carousel start up and his eyes went to the belt as he watched for her duffle and pack.

"Hey, Sailor." She called as she spotted him near the luggage carousel.

"Catherine." He said warmly as he opened his arms so she could step into them. He inhaled her unique sent as she held him tightly, his arms wrapping around her not wanting to let go.

"Thanks for meeting me." She told him as she stepped back to offer him a small smile.

"You've lost weight." He commented as he looked more closely at her. The dark smudges under her eyes showing how tired she was, the redness indicating where her thoughts had been. "You look like hell, Cath."

"Way to make a girl feel special, Commander." She teased not in the least offended by his words; after all she'd seen what her face looked like in the restroom mirror.

"Come on, let me get your bags and then we can go. You want to freshen up before we go to see your dad?" He asked as he slung an arm around her shoulders. Despite his words he still thought she was the most beautiful woman ever.

"I'm all set." She said holding up her duffle and backpack. "I'd love a shower." She confessed as he took her bags from her and steered her out of the airport towards the parking garage.

"Did you eat on the flight?" He asked her as he glanced across at her.

"Yeah, just don't ask what it was. I think the airlines are in league with the military for MRE's." Catherine joked as she stifled back a yawn. "Sorry, I didn't sleep much."

"We can stop and pick up something to eat on the way?" He suggested to her as he released her to pull his keys from his pocket.

"Nah, I'm good." She said with a shake of her head. "Where's the Silverado?" She asked as she glanced around the lot.

"Scrap heap heaven." He told her with a grin as he pulled open the door and waited till she climbed inside before closing the door and walking around to the driver's side and tossing her bags onto the rear seat before climbing in.

"You crashed it?" She teased as he slid behind the wheel. Her heart skipped a beat as he turned to look at her with one of those mischievous grins of his.

"No, a crazy psycho Dr decided to torch it." He replied as he started the engine.

"O my god, was anyone hurt?" She asked in concern as he pulled out of the parking space and left the parking lot.

"Just my truck." He said with a pout as he brushed of her concern.

"You never was good at first impressions." She reminded him as she turned to look him as he left the airport behind and took the exit for the Interstate.

"I made one with you." He teased as he turned to send her a sexy smirk.

Catherine laughed enjoying the easy banter between them. "I have low expectations." She told him with a grin. "You caught them though?" She asked as she settled back into the seat for the drive to the hotel Steve had arranged for her.

"No, she got away. We're just waiting for her to surface again." He told her with a sigh. "I hate the idea of having a serial killer on the loose."

"They always slip up in the end. You'll get her, Steve." She assured him. "Let me know if I can help in any way."

"Thanks." He told her gratefully with a smile as he glanced in her direction. "You know when I called, you said you were waiting for extraction." He mentioned.

"Yeah, I was on my way back." She confirmed. "I can't tell you…" She started.

"I know." He broke her of as he placed his hand over hers to give it a reassuring squeeze. He more than anyone understood she couldn't talk about her work. "Everything went okay, though?"

"Yeah it did." She confirmed as she gave him a smile before turning to look out of the window. She frowned as she took in the route they were taking. "So where exactly are you taking me?" She asked him as he continued along the HI 72 through Aina Haina. Her stomach clenched when she realised he was slowing down.

"The house." Steve said as he indicated he was turning of the highway and onto his street.

"Steve." She whispered softly as he pulled up in front of his house.

"Come on." Steve urged as he opened his door and grabbed her bags before heading through the gate and up the steps to his front door. He didn't wait to see if she followed, merely unlocking the front door and disabling the alarm. He heard her footsteps behind him as he headed up the stairs towards his bedroom. Pushing open the door to the room he placed her bags by the door as he turned to face her. "I still need to put fresh sheets on the bed in Mary's room."

"Steve, I don't want to cause you any problems." She said as she swallowed.

"You won't." He said with finality ending any more talk on that subject. "Go and a get your shower, you know where everything is." He told her as he moved towards the door. He gave her a smile as he reached her side, his hand reaching out to catch hers as he gave it a reassuring squeeze before he moved past her.

Catherine watched as he slipped out of the bedroom before she moved towards the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh. She glanced around the room taking everything in. Nothing had changed since she'd last been in here, the bedding and drapes that she'd helped Steve to pick out was still in use. She could only see Steve's belongings neatly arranged around the room making her wonder if Steve allowed Lyn to keep her things at his house. Feeling the need to know how serious Steve's relationship was with Lyn, she nervously stood and walked to what had once been her side of the bed. With a shaking hand, she opened the bedside drawer carefully so that Steve wouldn't know she was snooping; she briefly closed her eyes and swallowed nervously. Opening her eyes, she gasped in shook as she spotted the contents.

There was a couple of books tucked away in the back of the drawer, books she hadn't taken with her. She touched the cover of one of the books, surprised when a thin layer of dust coated her fingers. The discovery gave her some hope as she carefully closed the drawer and pushed herself of the bed before crossing to his closet and carefully opening the door. Her hand reached in to touch the suit bags that she knew contained his uniforms as she scanned the contents of the closet and only found Steve's belongings. Realising she'd been stood staring in to his closet in a daze, she shook her head and glanced across to the bedroom door. She needed to get her shower before Steve came back to see what was taking her so long.

Pushing open the bathroom door, her eyes initially went to the vanity where Steve's lone toothbrush sat in the beaker his razor and aftershave the only other items on the counter. A look in the shower stall telling her only Steve's Shower gel and shampoo was being kept there. She let out the breath she'd been holding as she approached the vanity and opened the door to pull out a couple of towels. Her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted the toiletries at the back of the cabinet.

Catherine reached in with a shaking hand and pulled out the bottles; the shower gel, shampoo and conditioner that she had left behind when she had left Hawaii over a year ago. Holding the bottles to her chest she opened the shower door and placed them on the shelf before removing her clothes and stepping into the shower.

…

Slipping back into his bedroom once he heard the shower come on Steve quickly crossed the room and placed the pile of folded clothes on the bed where Catherine would see them once she had finished with her shower. He had every intention of just leaving the clothing and going back down stairs, but he couldn't help but linger by the closed bathroom door and listen.

How many times had she showered while he had been present in the room with her, his mind couldn't help but conjure up the image of the times they had showered together. If he closed his eyes he could almost smell the Shower gel she used, his body reacting to his senses. Taking a deep breath, he stepped away from the door as he willed his body under control. Hearing the water turn off he quickly left the bedroom and headed back down the stairs.

….

As Catherine stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around herself she instantly spotted a pile of women's clothes on the bed. 'Yeah like I'm going to wear your girlfriend's clothes.' Catherine said to herself as she crossed to the bed so she could go through her bags for something that might be clean. She had just unzipped her bag when she glanced across at the clothes. "He kept my clothes." She whispered to herself as she picked up the cotton sweatshirt and hugged it as she sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't know how long she'd been sat holding the sweatshirt to her chest, when a knock on the door snapped her out of her daze.

"Catherine?" He called out as he opened the door a crack and waited for her to answer him.

"Yeah?" She asked him just before he pushed the door open.

"You okay?" He asked her in concern as he took in the sight of her sat on his bed with her sweatshirt clutched to her chest.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute." She whispered quietly as she blinked back tears.

Steve took in the lost expression on her face and crossed the room towards her. Sitting beside her be pulled her into his shoulder. "Come ere." He said. "Your dads tough, he'll be okay."

"Your absolutely right." Catherine agreed as she leaned into him a little more, savouring the contact. She didn't want to point out it wasn't her father's health on her mind at that moment. "I should get dressed." She uttered but made no attempt to move.

"Yeah." Steve agreed as he tightened his hold on her, not willing to let her go just yet. He brushed her damp hair over her shoulder as he trailed his fingers along her shoulder. He grinned to himself when he felt the small shiver run through her, and he brushed a kiss across her cheek.

"Steve?" She whispered as she closed her eyes. "Please don't." She begged, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist him. She hated the idea he was seeing another woman, but she wouldn't ruin that for him.

"Lyn and I, we ended things just after I returned from Morocco." He confided as he realised he owed her an explanation for his actions.

"I'm sorry." She said sincerely. Although it had hurt to see him with Lyn, she genuinely did want him to find happiness.

"I apparently have too many issues for her." He told her with a grin as he pulled back to look in to her face.

"You? Issues?" She teased with a grin as she looked at him. "You have a whole boatload of those, Sailor."

"Yes I do." He agreed. "Apparently, I have one major issue that she can't deal with." He told her quietly as he stared in to her beautiful face.

Catherine's breath hitched at his words, did he mean them. "Really?" She asked a little breathlessly as his face came closer to hers. She found herself lost in his eyes as he bumped his nose against hers.

"Yeah. She didn't like the fact I'm still in love with you." He told her as he closed the distance between them and kissed her softly on the lips. He sighed when he felt her immediately return his kiss. He was prevented from taking things any further though by the ringing of his cell. He groaned in frustration as he pulled back from their kiss. "Sorry, I need to get this." He apologised as he pulled his cell from his pocket and checked the caller id, seeing Chin's name.

"I know." She said as she watched him stand and move towards the door.

He turned back to look at her, giving her a smile as he softly pulled the door closed. "Hey Chin, have you got anything from Patricks phone?" He asked as he answered the call.

 _"_ _No. He's made and received several calls to his wife and yourself over the past week, he received a call from Catherine and he's made and received several calls from Pearl. All the calls have only lasted a few minutes, the exception being for his wife and Catherine." Chin explained. "We're all drawing blanks without having the actual evidence to review. We need to get access to the NCIS computer."_

"See what you can do, but be careful." Steve warned him.

 _"_ _I will." Chin quickly assured Steve before asking. "You okay, brah_?"

"I'm fine." Steve was quick to respond.

 _"_ _You know Danny told us…" Chin began._

"I figured he would." Steve said with snort.

 _"_ _You can tell me it's none of my business…" Chin started only to be cut off by Steve._

"I appreciate the concern, but A; I'm fine about splitting up with Lyn and B; I'm fine with Catherine being here." He told Chin.

 _"_ _Okay, but I'm here if you need to talk." Chin reassured him before biding him goodbye. "Aloha."_

"Aloha." Steve replied as he ended the call and slipped his phone back in to his pocket just before he heard his bedroom door open as Catherine headed down the stairs.

"Everything okay?" She asked as she reached the bottom step.

"Yeah, just Chin with an update on five-0's lack of progress with a case were working." He told her in frustration.

"You in need of a free consultant?" She asked with a smile.

"You volunteering?" He asked as he picked his keys up from the coffee table.

"Yes I am." She said with a nod of her head.

"Thank you. How about I fill you in on the way to Tripler." He suggested as they headed to the door.

…


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you once again for all the great reviews, and for taking the time to leave them.**

 **Catherine will be visiting the hospital to see her dad, and Steve will be there to support her. They also get to have a talk about discussing their future once Patrick is in better health.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Tripler Army medical centre.

Catherine and Steve stepped out of the elevator and slowly made their way to the ICU room that her father was in. She stopped just outside of the glass walled cubicle and watched as her mom sat holding her dad's un moving hand. Tears leaked from Catherine's eyes as she took in the bandages and bruises that covered his body. She felt Steve's presence behind her just before she felt his touch.

"Hey, you're not alone in this." He whispered quietly as he gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"He looks so frail." She whispered on a sob.

"He'll be back on his feet in no time." Steve reassured softly. "You know all the staff will be seeing lots of pictures of you as a kid." Steve teased.

"You know what? I can't wait for it to happen." Catherine confirmed with a watery smile as she turned to look at Steve.

"What even the little tutu pictures?" Steve asked with a grin.

"Okay, maybe not those ones." Catherine agreed with a grin of her own, before looking back at her dad and adding quietly. "I told dad."

"I know." He replied as he himself watched the machines working at keeping Catherine's dad alive.

"He told you?" Catherine gasped as she spun around to face him.

"Yeah. He called me a few days ago wanting to talk." Steve confessed as he looked at her. "We had

plans to get a few longboards this weekend before your mom arrived on the Island."

"He'd have enjoyed that." Catherine pointed out. Her dad had always got along well with Steve

"Come on, let's go and tell him you're here to see him." Steve suggested as a placed his hand on her back and ushered her into the cubicle.

"Mom." Catherine said as she entered the room.

"Ooh Catherine." Elizabeth said as she quickly rose to her feet so she could embrace her daughter. "I've missed you honey."

"I've missed you too mom." Catherine whispered into her mother's shoulder. "How's dad?" Catherine asked.

"His doctor said it's still early days, but he is managing to breath on his own. They want to do a few more tests once he's more stable. All we can do for now is wait." Elizabeth told her daughter as she took a step back to get a good luck at Catherine. "You've lost weight honey; you need to start eating properly." She chided.

"Mom." Catherine complained. "I'm fine."

"I'm just glad you're here honey." Elizabeth said as she pulled Catherine into her embrace once again and kissed her cheek.

"How about we grab a coffee in the cafeteria." Steve suggested to Elizabeth.

"I'm just going to freshen up first." Elizabeth told him with a smile as she moved back to the bed to kiss Patrick. "I'll be back soon."

Catherine sank into the chair her mother had recently vacated and picked up her dad's hand. "Hey dad, you need to wake up." She whispered.

….

After walking Elizabeth back to her husband's room Steve had left two women to their vigil. He wanted to check in with Chin to see if he'd managed to gain access to NCIS's server. Glancing around to ensure he wasn't being observed he pulled his cell from his pocket and called Chin.

 _"_ _Aloha." Chin said as he answered the call._

"Hey, did you manage to get access?" Steve asked as he once more scanned the corridor.

 _"_ _I'm going through the data now. It doesn't look as if Agent's Barnes or Jackson have discovered much out. Forensics taken at the scene haven't turned up anything and they didn't find anything in Captain Rollins hotel room. Is it possible that this was work related?" Chin asked._

"It's possible. I have no idea what Patrick has been working on before he was assigned to Pearl. I'll make a few calls, see if I can find anything out." Steve told him as he glanced back towards the glass walled cubicle so he could watch Catherine. "Sorry what was that?" He asked when he realised Chin had spoken.

 _"_ _I asked if there was any change with the Captain?" Chin repeated._

"Not really. They want to do some more tests once he's more stable. He's breathing on his own which is a good thing, the stab wounds didn't hit anything vital so he should make a full recovery there. Their main concern at present is his skull fracture, he's got a considerable amount of swelling to his brain which there closely monitoring. The Doctor believes that the swelling should come down on its own, if there is no change within the next twenty-four hours they want to relieve the pressure with surgery." Steve sighed as he closed his eyes. He hoped it wouldn't come to that for Catherine's sake.

 _"_ _How's Catherine holding up, I know this won't be easy for her." Chin pointed out._

"She's hanging in there. I just hope Patrick pulls through for her. I don't know how she'll cope if he doesn't make it." Steve confided quietly as he glanced back to Catherine who was just getting to her feet.

 _"_ _She'll have you there for her when she needs it." Chin pointed out with sincerity._

"Yeah, if she'll let me." Steve said quietly as he saw Catherine heading towards him. "Go home and get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow at HQ." Steve ordered as Catherine reached his side.

" _Goodnight, brah ." Chin told him as him bid him goodbye._

"See you in them morning, Chin." Steve replied as he ended the call.

"You okay?" Steve asked as he reached out to touch her arm.

"Yeah. The nurses are throwing us out for the night. I wanted to give mom some time to say goodnight." Catherine shared with him as they both glanced back towards her father's room.

"Okay, do you want to stop for something to eat on the way back?" Steve asked her as he watched Elizabeth bidding an unconscious Patrick goodnight.

Catherine shook her head. "Would you mind if I commandeer your Kitchen?" Catherine asked as she felt the need to do something constructive.

"If it comes with a meal, it's all yours." Steve readily agreed as his mind stirred up memories of other meals she'd prepared in his kitchen for them.

"Thanks, Steve. I just need to be doing something right now." She explained with a smile for him.

He didn't say anything in response, he just nodded his head and smiled back at her as her mother joined them. The three of them headed down in the lift and made their way through the maze of corridors and out to the parking lot where his car was parked.

…..

Unknown location.

"Well?" The dark-haired woman asked in her native tongue.

"She took the bait. She was picked up from the airport earlier today, Dimitri is still attempting to track her male friend." The man replied as he stood to attention in front of Anna.

"You made sure you left nothing for the Americans to find." Anna stated as she folded her arms across her chest.

"They will find nothing." He quickly assured.

…

McGarrett's Residence.

Steve waited till he heard Elizabeth close the door to the guest room before he grabbed two longboards from the fridge and went in search of Catherine. He heard the Lanai door open just after the two women had bid each other goodnight. He slipped through the open doors and quietly made his way through the back yard towards Catherine. She was sat in one of the old wood chairs as she starred out to sea.

"Hey, you want some company." Steve called out when he was near enough for her to hear him.

"Sure, especially if one of those is mine." She said with an easy smile as she indicated the bottle of beer in his hand.

"Of course." He agreed as he passed one of the bottles to her before sitting in the other chair.

"Mahalo." She thanked him as she took the drink and took a long drink from the bottle. She closed her eyes as the first taste hit her tongue, the memories flooding back to her one by one. The taste of his kisses when they didn't make it to dinner, nights spent challenging each other to a game of pool and steamy nights filled with each other. Catherine had developed a taste for his favourite brand of beer over the years they'd known each other. She'd not been able to look at a longboard for the past eighteen months, the taste reminding her too much of what she'd lost.

"You're welcome." He replied with a sigh as he leaned back into the chair and enjoyed the moonlit night with her. He turned his head to look at her before he spoke. "I know now isn't the right time to do this, but when we know your dad's okay I want us to have a proper talk."

"We will." She readily agreed as she glanced across at him. "Do you want to try again?" She quietly asked, needing something to hold on to.

"That's what I want us to talk about, I think we need to have a proper talk before we decide on anything." He told her. He knew they had a lot of things to discuss before they could try again. Morocco had made him realise he still loved her, and no matter how hard he tried to move on with his life he couldn't do it. Unless Catherine told him that her feelings had changed and that she no longer loved him or wanted to be a part of his life he knew he would continue to wait for her.

"I want that too." She said with a grin as she let out the breath she'd been holding. His words gave her some hope that they could move forward. Her love for him hadn't changed; she'd had invitations for drinks and dates, but had never felt comfortable in accepting them. How could she go out with another man when her heart belonged to Steve?

…


	5. Chapter 5

**A big thank you to all those that answered my question about the transplant. I had an idea in my head about how Catherine might find out about the transplant, but needed to know if it had been addressed in the show.**

 **Thank you to everyone for taking the time to leave reviews.**

 **Things are going to get a little more steamy in this chapter, but sorry they won't be getting to the make-up sex just yet.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Catherine stifled a yawn as she quietly closed the door to the family bathroom and crossed the landing to Mary's old room. She'd just placed her hand on the door knob when a noise made her stop and listen. Realising the noise had come from Steve's room she moved to his door to press her ear against it. When she heard it again she gently knocked on his door and pushed it open a touch.

"Steve?" She called out quietly as her eyes immediately went to the bed. She knew her instincts were correct when she saw him sitting up in the bed breathing deeply, crossing to the bed she perched her hip on the edge of the mattress as she slowly reached out a hand to touch his arm.

"Sorry… didn't mean to wake you." He got out through his pants.

"You didn't." Catherine assured him as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him pulling him to her. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and shoulders as he buried his sweat covered face into the crook of her neck. She didn't ask what the nightmare was about, knowing from experience he would only talk about it when he wanted to. She felt his breathing returning to normal as she gently combed her fingers through his hair.

Steve sighed in contentment as he felt Catherine's fingers in his hair, her scent surrounded him as he savoured her touch. He'd had his fair share of nightmares over the years, but being in Catherine's arms always made him feel… safe. He'd never tried to hide them from her, she was the only person he truly trusted to see this side of him. On the odd occasion, he'd had a nightmare when Lyn had slept over, he'd bolted from the bed and into the bathroom so she wouldn't wake up and see him.

"Do you think you can sleep now?" Catherine asked as she brushed a kiss across the top of his head.

"Yeah." He breathed into her neck. "Stay." He urged when he felt her move to get up from the bed.

She didn't answer him, she merely smiled and nodded her head before moving around to the other side of the bed and slipping under the covers. His hands reached out to pull her towards him as they both settled into a comfortable position as they drifted off to sleep entwined in each other's embrace. Catherine's head rested on his shoulder as his heart beat a contented rhythm.

….

The Beep, Beep of the alarm clock roused Steve from a deep sleep. Flinging out his arm he hit the off button before stretching his arms above his head. He grinned when he felt Catherine pillowing her face more deeply into his shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his waist in a possessive way. Slipping his arm back down so he could wrap it around her shoulder, he waited for her to wake up on her own. Normally he would be up running and swimming by now, but the temptation to spend time with Catherine in his arms won out over his desire to complete his morning exercise.

He realised as he watched her sleep, that last night had been the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time. Whenever Lyn had spent the night he'd always slept very lightly, springing awake whenever she'd moved in the night. Add in the fact she liked to cuddle during the night and his sleep had been anything but restful.

He brushed her hair over her shoulder, absently tracing patterns on her skin as he waited for her to open her eyes. He felt Catherine's breathing change and knew she was waking. Her fingers teased lightly across his skin as she traced along the waistband of his shorts, her fingers stilling as she encountered the scar tissue.

"Steve?" She asked in concern as she felt the scar tissue on his abdomen.

"Job related injury." He joked as he attempted to ease her concern. "You know how it is."

"How bad was it?" She asked quietly, her gut clenching at the thought of him being seriously hurt.

"The bullet fragmented my liver." He told her as she traced the scar from the transplant. "I had to have transplant surgery." He confessed.

"God, Steve." She gasped out as she levered herself up to look down into his face, her tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I'm okay." He assured her as he pushed himself upright so he was sitting up against the headboard.

"You nearly died?" She asked as she got to her knees facing him.

"I came close." He agreed as he took hold of her hand. "If Danny hadn't of stepped forward when he did you would have been the proud owner of some model ships." He teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Please don't make light of it." She urged as she stared into his face before asking. "You're okay now though?"

"Yeah." He reassured her with a gentle smile.

"What about long term?" She asked realising that he could face complications in the future.

"I'll be on medication for the rest of my life, but I can pretty much do everything I used to do." He explained reassuringly.

"What's the medication for?" She questioned wanting to know everything.

"There to supress my immune system to prevent my body rejecting the new liver." He told her as he brushed her hair away from her face.

"So your more prone to picking up infections." She said out loud as she placed her hand on his leg.

He nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I have to keep an eye on that side of things. I may need to have another transplant in the future." He explained as he studied her face for any sign of rejection and found nothing but love and understanding.

"That's only a possibility, not a definite thing though?" Catherine asked in concern, hating the idea he would have to go through it all over again.

"I'm hoping it won't come it, but I want you to know everything that I could face in my future." Steve told her.

"Is this part of the proper conversation you wanted to have?" She queried with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's one of the things I wanted to discuss with you." Steve confirmed with a smile as he watched her leaning forward towards him.

"It doesn't change how I feel about you, Sailor." Catherine murmured as she brushed her lips lightly against his.

A noise from downstairs had them both moving away from each other as they strained to hear what it was. "You know either my mother has broken into my house again to cook breakfast or…" Steve said, just before Catherine cut him off.

"My mom's taken over your kitchen." Catherine stated as she climbed from the bed and headed towards the bedroom door. "I'll meet you downstairs in a little while."

"Yeah." He agreed as he watched her leave his bedroom before he climbed from the bed and grabbed his boardie's and a t-shirt from the dresser.

….

Unknown location.

"Dimitri has located her male friend." The man exclaimed in his native tongue as he handed the file to his boss.

"Interesting." Anna agreed as she read through the small dossier in her hand. "It seems her friend is not only an American police man, but also a navy SEAL. Tell Dimitri to proceed with caution."

…

Iolani Palace.

After quickly bypassing the security checkpoint at the front of the building, Steve and Catherine headed up the stairs to the Five-0 offices. Steve pushed the door open allowing Catherine to step through before him. The office was void of activity as they walked down the corridor and quickly crossed the bullpen to the smart table. Steve logged into the server and brought up all the information that the team had collected on her father's assault.

"Is it just me that finds it odd that there was no evidence found?" Catherine asked as she turned to look at Steve.

"No, I suspect either a planned hit or a cover up." Steve agreed as he looked back at her.

"But why dad? He's only been involved with training for the last fifteen years; he hasn't been on a mission in years." Catherine said, her frustration evident as she turned back to the smart table and slapped her hands palm down on the surface.

"What about one of his trainees? Has he mentioned any trouble or altercations?" Steve asked, wondering if it could be a disgruntled Sailor.

"Nothing that ever stood out. Come on Steve, you know how the training works. Every one of them go into Bud/s knowing their instructors are going to push them to their limits." Catherine pointed out.

"Yeah, and beyond." He told her with a little grin as he covered her hand with his. "We'll find them Catherine." He assured.

She smiled back at him, grateful that he had begun looking into her dads assault as soon as he knew about it. She knew he would do everything he could to track the people responsible down. "Thank you for doing this." She told him sincerely as she went up on tip toes to brush a kiss across his lips.

"You're welcome." He replied quietly against her lips when she pulled back. Catherine didn't move from his personal space and he found himself slipping his arms around her and initiating another kiss. He felt her hands slipping around his neck, her fingers playing in his hair as he moulded his body to hers. She moaned and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth as he deepened the kiss.

Catherine felt his hands running down her back as he moved them both backwards until her behind hit the edge of the smart table. Steve's body was hard and unyielding as he effectively trapped her between himself and the smart table. She hooked her leg around his as he pulled his mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her neck, nipping at her pulse point as she moaned in pleasure.

"Mmm, Steve." She gasped as he cupped her breast through her top.

Steve smirked against her neck as he heard her words. He slipped his hands down her body to cup her bottom as he lifted her onto the edge of the table. He moaned himself when he felt her legs wrap around his hips as her mouth sort his once more. He knew they needed to stop what they were doing before anyone walked in on them, but the temptation to taste and feel her again was to intoxicating.

"Oh god, Steve." She moaned as she reluctantly pulled away from his lips. "We have to stop." She panted.

"I know." He agreed as he leant in to kiss her again. "I want our first time back together in a bed."

"Tonight?" She whispered hopefully against his lips as she stroked his cheek.

"With your mom in the house?" Steve asked in amusement as he kissed her softly on the lips.

"Moms sleeping in the guest room downstairs" Catherine pointed out as she traced the buttons of his shirt with a finger nail.

"You tend to be a little loud." He reminded her with a smirk as he slipped his hands under her shirt.

"That's your fault, Sailor." She purred against his lips.

"I'm not complaining. I like it when you scream." He told her huskily.

"I've only ever done that with you." She shared with a grin as she heard him groan.

"I want to make love to you so badly right now." He confessed as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I want that too, Steve." She told him breathlessly.

"I'm sure we can wait till after dinner." He said with a smirk.

"You mean we're actually going to make it to dinner?" Catherine teased with a grin as she slipped her hands around his neck and pulled his head down to hers.

…..

Tripler army medical centre.

Catherine squealed and hugged her mom back when the doctor delivered his news. The CT scan her dad had just undergone had shown an improvement in his condition. The swelling in his brain had reduced and his body was showing signs of waking.

"I'm just going to ring, Steve. He'll want to know about dad." Catherine told her mom as she pulled back from her embrace.

"You know Detective Williams told me something when he picked me up." Elizabeth wanted her daughter to know what she had walked away from.

"I know about the proposal, Mom. I found out a couple of months ago." Catherine told her.

"Why didn't you come home before know then?" Elizabeth asked in frustration.

"Because Steve was dating someone else and I didn't want to spoil his chance of happiness with her." Catherine said as she wiped a lone tear from her face.

"Were either of you thinking about her last night when you slept together in his room?" Elizabeth asked. "I heard leaving his room this morning, Catherine." She said when Catherine's head snapped up in surprise.

"It wasn't like that, nothing happened. Steve was having a nightmare and I heard him." Catherine was quick to defend. "They broke up."

"When are you two going to work things out?" Elizabeth asked her daughter gently. "It's obvious you two still love each other."

"We're going to have a talk after we know dad's okay." Catherine explained as she glanced at the floor. "We did have a bit of a talk this morning, but we still have a lot more to discuss."

Elizabeth reached out with her hand and lifted her daughters chin so they were at eye level. "Give him a call and go and have your talk. Your father wouldn't want you to put it off for his sake. We both want to see you happy, honey."

"Okay." Catherine agreed with a smile as she pulled her cell from her purse and placed the call to Steve.

….


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who left such great reviews, glad you're all enjoying the story.**

 **This is the chapter you have all been asking for; The talk and the make-up sex. Be warned it does get a little steamy, so if you don't want to read about the sex part, finish reading the story as they get into the bedroom.**

 **Not too sure when I'll get a new chapter added as I need to work on my last chapter of my Heading to the Chapel story which I need to finish for weekend. In real life, I am busy this week with my wedding anniversary and I also have 2 birthday cakes, cupcakes and party food for my little boy's birthday at the weekend. So, a very exhausting week for me lol.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy.**

Steve grinned as he entered his house to find Catherine sat on his couch with two beers sat on the coffee table in front of her. Luckily things had been quiet at Five-0 when she had called half an hour ago asking him to come home so they could have their talk. Danny had grumbled and complained about Steve jumping through hoops to please Catherine.

 _"_ _Seriously, you're just going to drop everything and go running when she calls. Have you forgotten how she upped and left you not once but twice?" Danny ranted as he paced back and forth across Steve's office floor._

 _"_ _Shut up, Danny." Steve snapped, not wanting to have this discussion._

 _"_ _No I will not. How many times are you going to let her trample your heart into pieces?" Danny shouted at him as he stopped in front of the desk and slapped his hands down on the wood. "I mean what the hell happened with Lyn, she was nice."_

 _"_ _She was a distraction." Steve retorted as he pushed back from his desk so he could stand up. "Nothing was ever going to come from that."_

 _"_ _What happens when Catherine leaves again?" Danny queried in an attempt to get Steve to think about what he wanted and needed._

 _"_ _That's what we want to talk about." Steve confessed as he stood in front of Danny. "I can't move on from Catherine, god knows I've tried Danny, I really have tried. Seeing her again when Doris was in trouble, hearing her tell me she would have said yes." Steve closed his eyes as he shook his head._

 _"_ _You still love her." Danny exclaimed._

 _"_ _Yeah, that's not going to go away." Steve agreed as he opened his eyes to look at Danny. "Since the transplant all I've done is think about what I could have done differently in my life. I've got nothing of any great value to show for my life."_

 _"_ _How can you say that, look at all what you've achieved in the Navy and with Five-0. You have a nice home, family and friends." Danny denied._

 _"_ _What do I have to leave behind Danny, what do I have for myself at the end of the day? You have Grace and Charlie to go home to, who do I go home to?" Steve asked as he swallowed and turned away from his partner._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, I didn't think." Danny apologised as he finally understood Steve's desire for Catherine._

 _"_ _Cath and I both want to discuss what happens now." Steve said as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "Danny, I need you to do something for me?"_

 _"_ _Anything." Danny was quick to agree._

 _"_ _Forgive Catherine, not everything was her fault." Steve insisted as he left his office leaving Danny to think about his words._

"Hey, one of those for me?" He asked as he dropped his keys on the table and sank down onto the couch beside her.

"Of course." She agreed with a smile.

"Thanks." He said as he picked up one of the longboards and took a drink. "You ready for that talk?"

"Yeah." She agreed as she turned her body so she was facing him. "I want to be able to tell you everything, but there's parts I really can't share with you."

"Tell me what you can." He urged knowing she wouldn't be able to reveal anything about her work.

"What I told you about being recruited in Afghanistan wasn't the whole truth." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I got myself into a tight spot when I went after Najhib, and needed a little rescuing. I did stay in the village to help them teach the children, until the CIA came. They handed me a dossier containing photos of you and Danny in Columbia, I tried to stall them so I could get a message through to Joe. The next thing I knew Danny was being extradited, after that I just said yes."

"You should have told me; I could have helped you Catherine." He said as he took her hands in his.

"I couldn't allow anything to happen to you Steve. When I came back for Kono's wedding I realised nothing had changed between us and I wanted so badly to tell you what I was doing, but I couldn't. The day I left, I had orders to give you a cover story and I'm so sorry for that." She said as she felt the tears run down her cheeks. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"How does the saying go? We only hurt the ones we love." He said as he gently brushed the tears from her face. "How many times have I kept things from you?"

"Steve, I always understood you couldn't talk about your missions." Catherine said with a shake of her head.

"I'm not talking about the Navy. I kept so many things from you because I thought I had to protect you from my past. I kept you at arm's length for so long, refusing to even call you my girlfriend." He sighed before smiling at her. "I should have told you a long time ago how much I loved you."

"You didn't have to say the words, Steve. I always knew what was in your heart." She said softly as she placed her hand on his chest.

"I still should have said the words to you." He told her before he continued. He wanted her to know how lost he was without her. "After you left, I tried my best to move on. I went on a couple of dates with Lyn, drank way too much and slept around and at the same time pushed myself into a relationship with Lyn. I knew I didn't love her and that meant she couldn't hurt me."

She closed her eyes at the images that assaulted her brain as she realised the hurt she had caused him. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Cath. I never should have forced you into choosing; I knew something wasn't quite right, but I didn't know what it was." He said softly as he brushed her hair away from her face. "I was ready to ask you to marry me, and there you were telling me you were leaving me again. I was hurt and angry at you for leaving me again so soon. "

"I know. I wanted so badly to tell you why I was going." Catherine said as she sniffed back her tears. "I know we can't just pick up where we left off, but I do want us to try again. I only feel complete when I'm with you."

"After the transplant, I had a lot of time to think about things. It made me realise I had nothing to show for my life. Danny has his kids, Lou has his family, Kono has Adam and Chin has Abbie waiting at home for them; I don't have that Catherine. I tried to delude myself into thinking I could have that with Lyn, but the night you turned up on my doorstep to tell me about my mom." He paused as he shook his head. "I knew whatever happened I could never move on and love someone else, I'm done with fooling myself. I want you in my life, Catherine."

"There is nothing I'd like more than that." Catherine told him with a watery smile.

"I have to know, if I had asked would you have stayed?" Steve wanted to know as he cupped her cheek.

"I never wanted to leave you, I would have found a way to stay with you." She assured him as she placed her hand over his.

"What about now? Will you stay?" He asked as he swallowed nervously as he waited for her answer.

"How long do you want me to stay?" Catherine asked as she stared into his eyes.

"For good." He whispered as he closed the distance between them and kissed her lips.

"I'd like that." She replied softly when he pulled back.

"I need a favour." He murmured against her lips.

"Of course you do." She said in amusement as her eyes twinkled mischievously.

"I need some help with shopping." He told her as he kissed along her jaw.

"Make a list, I'll go later." She told him as he reached her ear and nipped at her lobe.

"Nope, we have to do this together." Steve whispered against the skin of her neck as he peppered her skin with kisses.

"What's so important about us going shopping Steve?" She asked him in confusion, his kisses were distracting her too much to think straight.

"WE need a new mattress." He explained as he slipped his hands under her top and gently lowered her backwards onto the couch.

Catherine smiled as she bracketed his face with her hands before kissing him. "You know if we need a new mattress, WE need to go halves for it." Catherine told him deliberately emphasizing the we.

Steve grinned as he took in her words. "Does this mean you're moving in with me?" He asked as he stole another kiss.

"Just as soon as I empty my storage unit and WE buy another dresser for my clothes." She whispered against his lips as she wrapped her leg around his hip and arched her body more fully into his.

"Cath?" He said as he looked down into her flushed face. "How long till your mom comes home?"

"She won't be back till Dinner." Catherine told him with a grin as she pulled his head back down to hers.

"Can we move this upstairs?" He asked as he kissed his way along her jaw to whisper huskily in her ear. "I want you on a bed and completely naked so I can take my time with you."

"What…are…you...waiting…for?" She panted as he kissed his way down her neck and nudged her shirt aside.

"Come on?" He said as he quickly got to his feet and swung her up in his arms as he moved up the stairs.

"Steve, put me down." She giggled as her arms instinctly went around his neck.

Once up the stairs he lowered her too her feet as he pressed her against the door to Mary's room and took her mouth in a searing kiss that turned her to body to molten lava. She felt one of his hands slipping around her waist to holder her as his other hand went to the door handle.

"Wait." Catherine said as she pulled her mouth from his to draw air into her lungs. He pulled back to look at her in surprise, a hint of hurt creeping onto his face. She used his hesitation to slip out of his embrace and cross the small landing to the master bedroom. Crossing her arms around her waist she took hold of her shirt and pulled it off before dropping it on the floor and opening his bedroom door. "You coming?" She purred over her shoulder.

He didn't need telling twice, he sprinted into his bedroom to find Catherine lay in the middle of his bed in just her under ware. He stopped at the bottom of the bed and just stared at her, totally in awe of her beauty. She raised an eyebrow in question as she looked at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked when he finally moved, and began pulling of his own clothes.

"You're asking me that when I'm practically naked in your bed?" Catherine said in amusement as he joined her on the bed.

"I don't want you feeling uncomfortable." He explained as he lay beside her and traced the skin of her stomach with his fingers.

"Steve," She urged as she looked at him. "I know we've had sex in some pretty cramped spaces while we were both in the Navy, but I refuse to make love with you in your sister's twin bed when we have a perfectly good king right here."

"You're amazing." He whispered in awe as he lowered his face to hers.

Catherine slipped her arm around Steve's waist as she smoothed her hand up his back to hold him to her. She moaned into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers. "You changed the sheets, right?" She murmured breathlessly when he broke the kiss to draw air into his lungs.

"Yeah, and the topper." He assured her as he rolled more fully on top her. He moaned when he felt her legs wrap around his just before she rolled them both over and levered herself up.

"Good." She replied with a grin as her hands went behind her to open the clasp of the bra she was wearing. She looked down into Steve's face, his eyes dark with passion as he watched her slowly slip the straps down her arms as she pulled the scrap of black lace off and tossed it over her shoulder.

Steve slipped his hands to her waist, holding her steady as he rocked his hips against hers. His eyes roved over her body as he mentally catalogued every inch of her skin. He moved his hands across her stomach as he explored her smooth skin as they journeyed upwards towards her breasts. Cupping the outer swells of her breasts he was rewarded by a soft exhale of breath, just before she moaned and thrust her breasts more fully into the palms of his hands as he brushed his thumbs across her nipples. He shuddered as he felt Catherine's finger tips trailing down his abs, her hand slipping between their bodies to squeeze at his hardness through his shorts. He felt her inching her body backwards as she moved to sit on his thighs.

"Come ere." He ordered as he sat up and grasped hold of her hips so he could hall her back up his body as his mouth covered hers.

Catherine wrapped her arms around Steve's shoulders as he kissed her. She felt him grip at her hips just before she found herself flat on her back with him above her. He pulled his mouth from hers and trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck as he made his way lower. He braced one arm on the bed as he used the other to run down her body, cupping and caressing her breasts as his mouth followed the searing path.

She gasped as he licked a path down her breast and flicked his tongue across her nipple before he closed his mouth around the tender nubbin and sucked. "Ow, God." She cried out at the sensation, her hand moving to hold his head to her as she arched her back pushing herself more firmly into his mouth.

Sliding his hand up to cup her other breast and pinch at her nipple lightly, he sucked and nibbled at the one in his mouth. He could feel her pulling at his hair as he worked his way across to her other breast, repeating his actions as she writhed and moaned beneath him. He grinned against her breast as he felt her wrap her legs around his hips as she rubbed herself against his erection. Ignoring his own need to take her, he concentrated on pleasuring Catherine. Pulling away from her breasts, he knelt between her parted thighs as he ran his hands up the silky soft skin of her legs.

It was his turn to moan as he brushed his fingers across her black lacey panties and discovered how damp she was. Nudging the crotch of her panties aside he skimmed his fingers through her folds as he brushed his thumb across her clitoris. She moaned loudly as his fingers brushed through her slick folds, teasing her. "You're so wet for me." He growled, leaning down to kiss her lips as she moaned in pleasure.

Catherine gasped trying to kiss him again as he slid two fingers into her body, his thumb brushing her clitoris as he slowly slid his fingers in and out of her slick channel. Catherine was so aroused; thrashing beneath him as he sat back on his heels watching his hand between her thighs as she moved her hips in a rhythm to match his penetrating fingers. He eased a third finger into her stretching her more as he felt her muscles squeeze at his fingers as she came calling his name.

He didn't remove them; he just kept up the steady thrusting wanting to see and hear her come again for him. It didn't take long for Catherine to reach the heights of another orgasm, calling out his name as she crashed over the edge. He pulled his fingers from her body, leaning forward to kiss her lips, as she panted beneath him. He trailed kisses down her neck, nipping at her delicate skin, as she hissed in a combination of pleasure and pain. "More?" He asked, looking up at her flushed face.

She nodded her head at him, moaning as his mouth latched onto her nipple, his tongue flicking across the sensitive nub. She arched her back thrusting more of her breast into his mouth, as his hand came up to pinch her other nipple. She could feel him rubbing his erection against her, slipping threw her damp folds and rubbing against her clitoris.

"Please." She begged, lifting her hips trying to get him to enter her.

"Not yet," He growled against her breast, his tongue flicking across her nipple before his mouth clamped down on the nub and sucked hard. He swapped breast's repeating his actions as she thrashed beneath him. He heard the catch in her voice as her body stiffened beneath him, the wetness of her orgasm coating his erection as she came again. He released her breast pulling himself up to rest on his knees. He watched as she gasped for breath; her skin coated in a fine sheen of sweat, flushed with arousal.

Catherine opened her eyes as she felt him watching her. His eyes were roving over her body hungrily. He looked up catching her watching him through heavy lidded eyes and he smiled at her. She watched as he moved lower down the bed and lay down between her spread legs, his face level with her neither lips. He grinned at her lowering his face towards her body as she moaned in anticipation. She tried to close her legs at the first touch of his tongue, but his hands held her open.

"Ow God." She moaned again at his touch.

Steve lowered his mouth towards her, the guttural moan that came from her fuelling his own arousal. He was painfully hard wanting nothing more than to plunge into the wetness of her body and make her his once more, but he needed to taste her. He slipped his tongue between her lips, tasting her orgasms as they coated his tongue. He moaned in appreciation, holding her thighs open as she attempted to close her legs. He flicked his tongue across her clit and was rewarded with her bucking her hips towards his mouth.

He clamped his lips around her clit, sucking on the bundle of nerves before releasing it and licking threw her folds again. He pushed his tongue inside her and was rewarded by a moan as she thrust her hips into his face, begging for more. He continued to lick and suck at her, lapping her juices from her as she writhed beneath him. He heard the catch in her voice as she groaned and came across his tongue.

He didn't give her time to catch her breath before he surged upwards on his knees, grasping the sides of her panties he ripped the delicate lace from her body before angling her hips as he thrust into her still spasming body.

"Steve, stop." She managed to get out as she panted for breath.

He stilled, searching her face for signs she had changed her mind. "Catherine?" He asked as he gently stroked her hair from her face, his body still intimately fused with Catherine's.

"Protection." She whispered as she brushed a shaking hand through his hair.

He shook his head. "The hospital checked me out for everything, but it wouldn't matter if they hadn't. You're the only woman I've not used protection with." He told her as he brushed her lips with own.

She smiled at his small confession as she placed her hand on his cheek. "I haven't had any need to be on birth control for the past eighteen months, Steve." She confessed with a grin.

His eyes went wide in realisation as he withdrew from her body and quickly rolled away from her so he could reach into his bedside drawer and grab a foil packet. He rummaged around, frustrated when he couldn't find one quickly enough. "Yes." He grinned as he found one and rolled back to Catherine only to discover she had moved.

"Give me that." She told him as she took the small packet from him as she straddled his body. She made quick work of rolling the condom on him before she guided him into her body.

He groaned as she lowered herself onto his hardness. He gripped her thighs, needing to hold onto her as he allowed her to set the rhythm of their love making. He watched her as she moved above him, her eyes closed as she gasped and moaned.

Catherine opened her eyes as she felt him watching her. His eyes were roving over her body hungrily. He looked up catching her watching him through heavy lidded eyes and he smiled at her. She felt his hands slipping up her sides as he pulled her down towards him so he could kiss her. She felt his arms go around her back a split second before she found herself beneath him once again. Slipping her hands to his shoulders she held him to her as he kissed at her flushed skin, she felt him shift his weight as he raised himself from her upper body.

Steve leant forward bracing his weight on the headboard as he gave a hard, deep thrust; she squealed so he did it again, smirking as he heard her swear. She wrapped her legs around his back giving him a better angle as he picked up a steady rhythm. He swooped down to kiss her parted lips before kissing his way along her jaw to nip at her ear as he whispered how much he loved her. He soon felt her spiralling out of control again. This time he was right with her as she tipped over the edge taking him with her, as he called her name.

Catherine slowly came down to earth again; Steve still deep inside her body after his release. He was panting above her, still gripping the headboard as he tried to get his breathing back under control. "God, Steve. That was..." She said, her words tailoring off as he leant down to kiss her tenderly. She moaned as she tasted herself on his lips, his tongue duelling with hers. "Amazing." She finished as he pulled away from her mouth.

He smirked at her words, dropping a kiss on her lips as he withdrew from her body before collapsing on his back while he attempted to get his breathing back under control. "I've missed you Cath." He whispered as he turned his head to look at her flushed face where it rested on his pillow.

"I've missed you too, Steve." She told him softly as she rolled onto her stomach and leaned over to kiss him. "I need a shower, you want to join me?" She purred as she rolled from the bed and made her way into the en-suite.

Steve grinned to himself as he watched her move into the bathroom and quickly moved of the bed to follow her. After getting rid of the used condom he quickly stepped into the shower eager to help Catherine with her shower. He made a mental note to visit the drug store for supplies when they went to choose a new mattress.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who left such lovely reviews, I'm so glad your all enjoying the story.**

 **I've just finished my other story, (Heading to the Chapel) so now I can concentrate fully on this one. My little one is finally in school so now I get a little more me time during the day, makes for one happy mummy.**

 **This is just a small chapter to tease at what's around the corner for Steve and Catheine.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

McGarrett's Residence.

Steve grinned as he left his bathroom and found Catherine pulling off her shirt. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall so he could watch her undressing. He watched as she pushed her jeans off her hips before bending over at the waist to push them down her legs so she could step out of them.

"You enjoying the view?" She asked saucily as she stood upright and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"I'd enjoy it even more if you turned around." Steve quipped as his eyes racked over her body hungrily.

Catherine smiled as she slowly turned around to face him, standing still as he hurriedly crossed the room. She sighed as he slipped his arms around her waist, his fingers brushing along the edge of her panties before slipping inside to cup her behind as he lowered his face to hers in a searing kiss. She slipped her own arms around his neck as she felt him lift her off her feet.

Turning around he gently laid her down on the bed before following her down onto the mattress as his tongue explored her mouth. He groaned as he felt her hand slip between them to cup at his hardness, giving him a gentle squeeze as she pulled away from his lips. "Didn't you get enough this afternoon?" She teased.

"Of you, never. You made me try out all those mattresses, Catherine." He growled as he captured her hand and held it against the bed.

"I wanted to make sure we got the right one." She reasoned as she brushed a kiss across his lips.

"Only one way to make sure." He assured her as he kissed her lips and pressed his hardness against her core. "We have to try it out." He insisted as he trailed kisses along her jaw.

Catherine moaned as she arched her body into his, her legs wrapping around his waist as she slipped her hand into his hair. "I'm not very sleepy." She managed to get out as he kissed his way down her neck.

"I'm not sleepy either." He told her huskily as he continued his path down her neck. "Think you can keep the noise down?" He asked as he nuzzled her bra strap out of the way and kissed a path down her chest.

"Not if you keep that up." She groaned out as he nuzzled his way inside her bra and flicked his tongue across the tight nub.

"I think it's time we got you undressed." He murmured against her breast as he looked up to meet her eyes. "Wouldn't want to ruin your new under ware."

Catherine chuckled at him. "That because you bought it, Sailor?" She teased as she locked eyes with him.

Pushing himself upwards so he was level with her face he kissed her tenderly. "I did ruin your panties earlier." He pointed out with a smirk as he watched her face flush with the memories.

"That was so hot." She confided as she watched him swallow.

"I think we should save the replay of that for when we have the house to ourselves." Steve said with a smug smirk as he pointed out. "You were a little loud."

"Steve?" She murmured as she pulled his head down to hers so she could kiss his lips. "Stop talking and get to work."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied as he slipped his hands beneath her to unfasten her bra before pulling it free from her body. His hands slid along her rib cage and down her hips as he pushed her panties down her legs before rolling of her body so he could quickly remove his own shorts.

Catherine had already kicked her panties free of her legs as she twisted around to pull open Steve's bedside drawer so she could grab one of the condom's he'd stashed in there after their return home. She felt Steve's hand close over hers just as she rolled back towards him. She smiled as he took it from her and quickly sheathed himself before rolling her beneath him. He took her mouth in a searing kiss as he slowly entered her body.

…

The ringing of his cell startled him awake. Rolling away from Catherine he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and quickly answered it as he spooned himself back around Catherine's body. She sighed as she wiggled back into the warmth of his body, her bottom nestled against his lap.

"Hello, McGarrett." He answered the call and waited till the person on the other end gave him all the details.

He nuzzled her hair from her shoulder as be rubbed his stubled jaw against the soft skin of her shoulder as he looked down her body. The sheet was loosely draped across her naked body, he grinned as he used his foot to push the covers further down the bed revealing her body to him. The moonlight that spilled through the window softly illuminating her body as his eyes travelled over her curves. He could see bruises appearing on her skin where he had nipped and gripped her roughly during their afternoon tryst.

"Okay, I'm on my way." He said into his phone as the person on the other end finished explaining the details.

"You have to go." Catherine stated as she turned in his arms and gave him a sleepy smile as she snuggled against his chest.

"Yeah, I'm on call." He told her as he dropped his phone on the bed beside her and gently rolled her to her back. He took her lips in a soft kiss as he brushed her hair from her face. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised her.

"I'll be here." She assured him as she slipped her hand into his hair and pulled his head back to hers so she could kiss him.

"Um, I think I should apologise for being a little rough earlier." He said against her lips.

"Don't you dare apologise for what we both wanted." Catherine chastised him as she placed her hand against Steve's cheek.

"Cath, I've left bruises and bites all over you." He pointed out as he bent his head to kiss at one of the bites on her chest.

"Right back at you." She said as she traced the teeth mark that she had left in his shoulder with the tip of her finger. "And when you get home I'll return the favour more fully." She said as she brushed a kiss across his lips.

Steve grinned as he pulled away from her lips and rolled from the bed. After a quick shower he threw on a pair of cargo's and a t-shirt, pulling on a button down shirt over the top before he clipped his badge to his belt. He was just strapping his gun to his thigh when he felt Catherine's hands on his chest as she began buttoning his shirt up for him. He grinned as he caught sight of the top she had pulled on.

"I was wondering where this had gone." He said as he slipped his hand under the hem of one of his old SEAL t-shirts.

"I borrowed it." She told him with a grin.

"Really. Just so you know, when I get home I'm reclaiming it." He promised as he dropped a kiss on her lips.

He smiled as he left the bedroom, whistling to himself as he softly closed the door behind him and made his way down stairs so he could leave the house. He grabbed his keys from the table and turned the alarm off before resetting it and leaving the house, not noticing the dark figure that slipped through the lanai door and into the house just before he closed and locked the door.

….


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the next chapter. Worried and Protective Steve is coming out to play, and sorry but there's quite a bit of Cath whump coming in this Chapter and the upcoming ones.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave such wonderful reviews.**

 **Wendy x**

Catherine grunted in pain as her body hit the metal floor of the van that she had been bundled into. She held her left arm across her chest as she pushed herself upright in to a sitting position and scooted backwards till she felt the cold metal against her back. She shivered as the cold air hit her skin, the t-shirt and panties not offering her much protection in the early morning hours. Drawing her legs up to her chest she pulled the t-shirt down her bare legs as she carefully wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.

Catherine closed her eyes as she rested her head on her knees and silently prayed that Steve would be able to find her. Her attacker must have entered the house as Steve was leaving, there was no other explanation for the alarm not activating. She had only realised she wasn't alone when a hand had closed over her mouth. She had known instantly it wasn't Steve, the touch was different and it hadn't smelt like him.

Catherine had bit at the hand drawing blood as she untangled her legs from the covers and got to her feet to defend herself. Her attacker had been prepared for her though and kicked her feet out from under her. She'd cringed when he'd body slammed her into the mattress and grabbed both her flailing wrists, pinning them above her head in one meaty palm. She had screamed at that point, fearing being raped as she thrashed and struggled beneath him to get free.

The striking blow he'd doled out across her cheek was still stinging. The blow had momentarily stunned her as the white-hot tendrils of pain had shot through her head from the blow. He'd taken advantage of her stunned state and pulled her up of the bed and thrown her over his shoulder in an attempt to carry her from the room.

Regaining her senses, she had begun hitting and kicking at him as she had fought to get free. Her foot had connected with his groin and the man had grunted and swore in his native tongue as his grip had slackened. Catherine had managed to wriggle free and cross the room in the direction of the kitchen, attempting to grab a knife from the block on the counter. Her hand had just closed around the handle of one of the knives when he had grabbed her hair from behind.

She'd thrown her head back, smiling when she felt her head smack into his nose. She spun around holding the knife out in front of her to hold him off when a noise from the living room startled her. The man seized his opportunity and grabbed at her hand slamming her wrist into the counter with a bone jarring crunch. She screamed out from the pain as he once again grabbed hold of her and carried her out to the waiting van.

….

Waikiki Beach

"Max let me know when you have something for me." Steve said as he watched the ME bag the victim.

"You will indeed be my first call, Commander." Max informed as he stood up.

"Mahalo." Steve thanked as he watched the other man loading the corpse into his van.

"Steve." Duke Lukela called from across the barrier where several officers and himself were currently taking statements. "I've just received reports of a break in at your house." Duke told him as Steve reached the parking area.

"Who called it in?" Steve asked in concern as he wondered why Catherine hadn't called him with an update on the situation.

"One of your neighbours, that's all I know." Duke answered.

"What's going on?" Danny asked as he and Lou joined him.

"I don't know." Steve said as he ran towards his truck and quickly climbed inside, his tyres spraying gravel as he sped from the parking lot.

Danny and Lou glanced at one another before they quickly followed suit, heading for their vehicles and following Steve through the deserted streets of Honolulu. It didn't take long for them to catch up to Steve as he pulled into his own driveway which was already crawling with HPD cruisers.

Steve was already pushing through the doorway when Danny caught up with him. He took one look around his living room before he headed up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time as he pushed past the officers already in his house. "CATHERINE?" He called out as he pushed open his bedroom door.

He shuddered as he saw the blood on his sheets, his heart pounding at the thought that Catherine had been hurt. He spotted something shiny glinting amongst the bedding and tentatively reached out to pick up the slender gold chain Catherine had been wearing just a couple of hours earlier.

"We think it could be just a B&E gone wrong." Abby said as she entered the room.

"It's not." Steve denied as he forced himself to look away from the bed and take a proper look around the room. The box's that contained his medals and various watches and cufflinks were still stacked neatly on his dresser, and a glance at Catherine's new dresser revealed her small traveling jewellery case untouched on the top. "They haven't touched anything."

"What about the alarm?" Danny asked him from where he stood in the doorway as he looked around the room. He noticed that Catherine's belongs were neatly placed around the room, and Danny had to wonder if it was a permanent arrangement.

"I set it before I left the house." Steve told him as he turned to look at his partner and Abby so he could ask. "Where's CSU?"

"There processing the kitchen, there were blood splatters on the floor and one of the knives has been removed from the block." Abby explained as she moved more fully into the room. "We've found foot prints outside the lanai doors and there's scratch marks on the wood where they've jimmied the lock."

"They must have entered the house as I was leaving." Steve reasoned as he looked up upon hearing a sob coming from the open doorway.

"Steven." Elizabeth Rollins called as she pushed past Danny and moved towards Steve. Her voice thick with emotion as the tears ran down her face.

"Elizabeth." Steve said as he pulled her into his embrace. "What happened?" He asked as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"I was asleep when I heard Catherine scream. I wasn't sure at first, I thought maybe the two of you!" She said into his shoulder, not seeing his how his cheeks pinked at her words. "I waited to see if I could hear anything else, that's when I heard the faint sounds of fighting coming from the Kitchen. I went to check and that's when I heard my baby scream again. He took my little girl." She sobbed as Steve held her close.

"We'll get her back, we'll get her." He assured her as he let his own tears flow. He couldn't lose Catherine, he'd only just got her back.

"I've just spoke to the neighbour who reported the incident." Lou said as he entered Steve's bedroom.

"Okay." Steve urged him.

"She saw a white van speeding away from the front of her house just after she heard your alarm going off. She managed to get a partial plate, Chin is running it now." Lou told him.

"Elizabeth, did you get a look at him?" Steve asked the woman, hoping that she could give them more information.

She shook her head sadly. "It was too dark. He was a similar build and height to you, he was white, I'm certain of that." She told him. "He was foreign though, I heard him say something. B'lyad suka? I think it was."

"That's Russian." Danny exclaimed as he heard the words.

"You're sure?" Steve asked as his head snapped up to look at his partner.

"Yeah. It's Russian swear words." Danny explained glancing at the back of Catherine's mother.

One of the CSU's suddenly appeared in the doorway and approached Abby with a sheet of paper before leaving the room.

"They found two sets of prints, your own and a Lieutenant Catherine Rollins." Abby told him as she looked at him. This was a sight she had never witnessed before, he'd always been so controlled with his emotions when she had worked with the five-0 team. Abby made a mental note to ask Chin about this woman.

Steve nodded his head at the small piece of information Abby had shared. He wasn't surprised that his girlfriend had defended herself, she was more than capable of taking care of herself. "Lou get Chin to run a list of all Russian citizens that have arrived in the past week, and once we have the blood work back I want a name." Steve demanded as he took a deep breath to get his emotions under control.

"You know it could be connected to something she was working on." Danny stated quietly.

"Yeah, but no one's going to tell us jack shit about any of her assignments, Danny." Steve pointed out as he absently glanced across at Catherine's phone where it still sat in the charger by her side of the bed.

"Surely you would be able to speak to her C.O?" Abby questioned in surprise.

"Catherine doesn't work for the Navy anymore, she's Agency." Steve explained simply as he swiped a hand across his face. "I have a feeling that Patrick's assault was a way to get Catherine back on the Island." He said, voicing his suspicions.

…..

Danny's Camaro

Danny glanced across at his partner who was sat in the passenger seat of the Camaro as they drove through the streets of Honolulu as they made their way to the Palace. The further into the drive the more concerned Danny became. Steve was sat staring out of the windshield, a hard mask on his face as he payed little attention to his surroundings.

"We'll find her." Danny reassured as he came to a stop at a red light.

"Yeah." Steve agreed a little hollowly as he leaned his head against the head rest and took a deep breath. "We had our talk." He said quietly.

"Is she staying?" Danny asked not beating around the bush.

"Yeah." He said on an exhale of breath. "They used what happened in Colombia to recruit her. Catherine was the one to get the message to Joe not my mother." He rolled his head to look at Danny.

"Why didn't she tell us? Or you?" Danny asked in confusion.

"She was trying to protect us, Danny." Steve whispered tiredly as he rolled his head back to look at the window.

"That sounds just like the Ramboette." Danny said with a ghost of a smile. "Does she know about the transplant?"

"Yeah, we've discussed it." Steve replied with a nod of his head.

"And she's okay with it?" Danny queried.

"She says it doesn't make a difference in how she feels." Steve told him as he rolled his head back to the side to look at Danny. "I can't lose her."

"You are not going to lose her, babe." Danny reassured him. "So, the two of you…."

"None of your business." Steve snapped, breaking of Danny's question. He was not about to discuss the intimacy he had shared with Catherine.

"Not what I was asking." Danny was quick to respond. "I just wanted to know if you were officially back together."

"Sorry." Steve apologised a little sheepishly. "But, yeah were going to try again."

"I should probably apologise for what I said to you yesterday." Danny admitted as he glanced across at his partner.

"Nah, it's fine Danny." Steve said as he brushed of his friend's apology.

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have said what I did." Danny said as he pulled into his usual parking spot in front of the Palace. He turned in his seat so he could look at Steve properly. "You know you once told me I should put my anger aside and help my son, I guess it's time I did the same thing with Catherine."

"Thanks buddy." Steve replied gratefully.

"So, are you planning on getting the ring out again?" Danny teased as they both opened the doors and headed towards the Palace's doorway.

Steve chuckled as he shook his head. "Not just yet. I think we both need a little time getting to know each other again. I also realise that I took a lot for granted with Catherine, that's something I need to work on." Steve admitted as he pushed open the Palace door and headed towards the stairs that would take him to the Five-0 offices.

"You'll have plenty of time for that once we get her back." Danny reassured as he slapped Steve on the back and moved passed him into the bullpen where Chin and Kono were already hard at work.

…

Unknown location.

Her feet stung as the guy who she had nicknamed 'crazy Ivan' dragged her out of the van and across the gravelled driveway and in to the secluded house. He shoved her through the darkened house, her feet sinking into a thick piled carpet before she suddenly found herself walking on a cold tiled floor. A door was opened and she felt Ivan give her a push just before she felt herself freefalling.

She screamed out in surprise and then pain as she landed on the cold hard basement floor. She heard her capturer laughing a moment before the door slammed shut and she heard the bolt being slid into place. Pushing herself upright with her good hand she managed to get to her knees and take a good look around the darkened room. The basement was void of the usual clutter one would expect to find, making her realise how carefully this must have been planned.

There was nothing except for a lone chair that sat in the centre of the floor. Pushing herself to her feet she slowly made her way towards it, freezing when she saw the leather cuffs attached to it. The chair was a solid wood one which had been bolted to the floor to prevent movement, beneath which lay a grid. A glint of something metallic caught her eye and she turned to get a better look, the heavy metal shackles dangling menacingly from the beam's above her head. The cold shiver that ran through her body had little to do with the cold damp basement.

….


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to everyone who left such wonderful reviews.**

 **"** **Least we forget the brave men and women that died on this day 75 years ago. Though we may never** **meet, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those sadly taken during the attack. God bless your souls." 7 December 1941.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Wendy x**

Iolani Palace.

"Chin, see what you can get of Catherine's cell." Steve said as he pulled it from his pocket and placed it on the smart table.

Chin nodded his head as he picked the phone up so he could begin working on it. "What exactly do you want me to check?"

"I want the number of her handler. When I called about Patrick she said she was waiting for extraction, there should be a number somewhere in the history. I doubt she'd have it in her contacts." Steve explained before adding. "See if you can pull any foreign numbers of it, it might give us an idea of who we're dealing with."

"It's locked." Chin said as he attempted to access the information they wanted. "It's going to take me time to crack her code."

"Let me try?" Steve said as he took the phone back from Chin and tapped in a four-digit code, sighing gratefully that she had not changed her pin when the screen unlocked. He passed it back to Chin as he asked. "How is it coming along with the list of names?

"It's a long list, we're trying to narrow it down." Chin admitted.

"Keep working on it." Steve ordered "What about the van?"

"That was a bust." Kono admitted as she pulled up an incident report for the theft of the van the previous day.

Steve growled in frustration. "Lou see if you can get anything out of the owners." Steve demanded as he turned and headed towards the door.

"Where we going?" Danny called after his retreating partner.

"The lab." Steve growled out. "You coming?"

Chin, Kono and Lou watched as Danny jogged after Steve as he left the office. Chin looked down at the phone he had placed on the smart table and swallowed. He'd gone through the personal possessions of many people during his time on the force, but somehow this felt too invasive. Catherine was a friend and Chin hated the idea of snooping through her personal things.

"We need to find her fast." Kono exclaimed into the quiet of the room.

"If we don't find her in time, I think I might head back to Chicago." Lou said in reply to her words. He didn't want to be on Oahu when McGarrett totally lost it, he'd been on the receiving end of his possessiveness once before because of Catherine.

"There back together." Chin stated as Lou nodded his head in confirmation.

"They sure are." Lou confirmed as he rested his hands on the edge of the smart table. "Looked like she'd moved back in with him."

"You okay with her phone, cuz?" Kono asked as she indicated to the phone on the smart table.

"Yeah. It just seems like I'm snooping by going through her phone. I'm not comfortable with viewing messages that could be of an intimate nature." Chin admitted to her.

"Then I'd probably avoid reading any between her and the boss." Kono teased as she pushed herself up from where she'd been leaning against the table and headed in the direction of her office. "I'm going to go narrow our list down."

"I'll see you later." Lou said as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and left the bullpen leaving Chin to work through the contents on Catherine's cell.

….

Forensics Lab.

"Eric, have you got anything from the blood samples?" Steve asked forgoing any pleasantries.

"Maybe you should step back and let us run the case." Abby said as she entered the lab herself.

Steve turned at the sound of her voice, his jaw clenching as he stared at her. "You know I'm not going to do that." He said in firm tone that left no room for argument.

"You're too close to the case, Steve. You should step away from it and let us do our job." Abby tried again.

He shook his head before he spoke again. "I suspect that whoever it was that took Catherine is somehow mixed up with her work. The guy swore in Russian, and I know she was on an assignment in Kiev last year. If I'm right, we're not dealing with your average criminal here… these sorts of people use a different rule book than HPD are used too." He paused letting his words sink in.

"Catherine is highly trained and extremely good at what she does. I've spared with Catherine she's not scared to fight dirty when the stakes are high enough, this guy managed to overpower her, Abby. He's highly trained and I'd bet anything on the fact he's not working alone."

"Okay, but allow me to help out." Abby conceded when he finished.

"Mahalo." He thanked her with a small smile before turning back around to look at Eric.

"Okay, I've picked up three DNA strains from the samples found in the bedroom." Eric announced, initially surprising the three Officers. "Our suspects blood was discovered with saliva from the victim."

"Wait, your saying Catherine bit him." Steve asked with a grin.

"Yeah. None of the blood was hers, it's just our guy." Eric agreed as he watched Steve close his eyes and sigh in relief.

"What about the third person?" Abby asked.

"You can rule that out…" Eric started only to be cut off by McGarrett.

"Because it's mine." He realised as he looked at Eric who nodded his head in confirmation.

"What about the samples down stairs?" Danny asked, wanting to steer his nephew away from what type of samples he'd taken Steve's DNA from. Suspecting and knowing Steve had been getting some Barry White were totally different.

"It's our guys again. I found traces of mucus in the blood so I recon the guy probably has a broken nose." Eric chortled before he added. "Man, that chick is hot."

"Who can and will kick your ass if you disrespect her like that again." Danny warned his nephew as he glanced nervously at Steve to gauge his reaction. He watched as Steve drew himself to his full height as he took a step towards Eric. Danny quickly inserted himself between the two of them as he turned his full attention to his Partner. "Let it go."

Steve nodded his head as he relaxed his posture and took a step back from Danny.

"What about a match?" Abby asked.

"None yet, I'm checking it against all our data bases." Eric admitted.

"Get a copy sent over to Chin, and widen your search to include Interpol." Steve ordered.

…..

Unknown location.

Catherine shivered as she wrapped her arms around her legs, rubbing at her bare skin to get some warmth into them. She flexed her toes ignoring the stinging from the cuts on the soles of her feet. She had picked out as much of the gravel as she could in the dark, the slickness on her fingers telling her that they were bleeding. Her cheek still stung a little from the blow he'd given her to her face but that was the least of her worries. Her left wrist felt swollen and she knew it must be broken. She had attempted to move it only to gasp out as the slightest movement caused her more pain.

She had no idea how long she'd been down here, the waiting both agonising and a relief. A noise from above had her pushing back against the wall in fear as the bolt was slid back and the door opened. A bright light was switched on, blinding her as she attempted to see what was happening.

'Ivan' walked in with a woman who was dressed in pair of black leather pants and matching jacket. Catherine took one look at the woman and instantly dubbed her 'black widow, she stood and watched as 'Ivan' grabbed Catherine by the hair and roughly pulled her to her feet before dragging her to the middle of the room. Catherine pulled and twisted trying to break free of his grasp. She knew the chances of her escaping were slim, but she refused to go down without a fight.

She felt his fist connect with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as she doubled over gasping for breath. He grabbed her roughly pushing her onto the chair as he used his body weight to hold her down while he fastened the leather cuffs tightly around her wrists and ankles. She felt the leather biting into her skin as he pushed down harder than necessary, the pain in her left wrist unbearable as she passed out from the pain.

"Wake her up." Anna ordered as she approached the chair and waited for her comrade to fetch the bucket of water for their guest.

…

Iolani Palace.

Chin sighed in frustration as he went through the last piece of information on Catherine's cell phone. All he'd managed to pull from the memory was a number she had called shortly before Steve's call had been placed. When he had run the number through the data base it came back to a landline number at the CIA office here on Oahu, he'd found her handler but nothing else. She had very little stored on the phone and he wondered if maybe she had some other back up device. The photos stored on the memory had yielded no information of value to the case, but showed how very much Steve had still been in her thoughts during her time away.

Hearing a noise in the corridor, he looked up to see Steve and Danny side by side as they headed down the corridor towards the bullpen. He smiled when he spotted Abby walking behind them as she too joined him by the smart table.

"Did you get anything of her phone?" Steve asked as he glanced at the surface of the smart table where several photos of himself and Catherine were displayed.

Danny watched Steve closely as his partner tapped on the images as he moved them so he could see them properly. Steve was smiling softly as he went through each of them, and Danny realised that several of the pictures were from before Steve had left the Navy.

"I've got her handlers number, but there wasn't anything else on there." Chin explained as he too glanced across at Steve, before sliding a slip of paper across the table surface.

"Thanks, I'll see if I can find anything out." Steve said as he pocketed the slip of paper with the phone number for Catherine's handler.

"Where was that?" Danny asked as he spotted Steve staring fondly at one particular photo.

"Coronado." Steve said simply as he tapped on the image to enlarge it.

"Wait a minute, that's…" Danny started as he looked more closely at the enlarged photo.

"Dad came to watch me pass out of BUD/S." Steve shared with them. "I'd forgotten Freddie took that on Cath's phone."

"I remember your dad showing me a photo like that one, of just the two of you. He was so proud of you." Chin shared with Steve.

Steve gave a small whimsical smile as he took one last look at the photo before pulling the slip of paper from his pocket. "I'll be in my office if you get anything."

…

Unknown location.

The bucket of ice cold water hit her full in the face, shocking her awake. She blinked the water out of her eyes as she shivered from the cool air hitting her wet skin. 'Black widow' was stood in front of her with a wide grin on her face, while 'crazy Ivan' was stood beside her holding a metal bucket. Catherine watched him as he placed the bucket down on the ground before turning back to her. She could see that his nose looked as if it was at on odd angle and strips of tape were across the bridge of his nose. His hand had been bandaged, and she grinned when she realised she had been the one to cause him the injuries.

"Ahh, you are awake now Lieutenant, shall we begin?" The woman asked in a heavy Russian accent as she took a step towards Catherine and grabbed her by her hair as she forced her head back. "I will ask questions and you will answer. If you fail to give me what I want, Dimitri will be forced to hurt you. Show her." She ordered as she moved away from her prisoner.

Catherine watched as the woman released her and stepped back allowing Dimitri to step forward. She swallowed the fear back down tensing her muscles as she waited for what he would do to her. He grinned at her, just seconds before his fist connected with her face. Her jaw ached from the contact, but she pushed herself upright in the chair and forced herself to look at him as defiantly as possible.

"Where is Jane Smith." She asked.

"I don't know who you're talking about." Catherine denied as she prepared herself for the blow that was surely to come from Dimitri.

"Dimitri." She said as she watched her comrade punch the American in the face. She waited until he took a step back before approaching her. "Think hard, Lieutenant. Jane Smith?"

"I don't know her." Catherine told the woman with defiance as she prepared herself for the next blow.

...


	10. Chapter 10

**Once again thank you for taking the time to leave a review, they are very much appreciated.**

 **The team will get a little closer to finding out who has Catherine in this chapter, I wonder if anyone can figure out who my surprise person is going to be.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Iolani Palace.

"I've got a name." Kono called excitedly as she ran from her office with her tablet held close to her chest. Skidding to a stop she flicked the file onto the screen for the rest of the team to look at.

"I'll get Steve." Danny said as he moved away from the table to head towards his partner's office. Seeing Steve on the phone he wrapped his knuckles on the door and waited for him to beckon him in to the office.

"What can you tell me?" Steve asked in frustration as he watched Danny enter his office and sit on the edge of his desk. He listened to the guy on the other end of the phone as he finally gave up a little information. "Okay, thanks."

Danny watched as Steve replaced the receiver and ran a hand across his face in frustration. "Did he tell you anything?" He asked.

"Not really. Apparently, Catherine was working in Kiev because we had intel that the Russian's were supplying arms to I.S groups within the U.S. The cell was completely neutralized, there's no way her name would have come up in connection with any of it." Steve said tiredly. "Whoever they sent in to complete the mission objective wouldn't have had the information about the operative on the ground."

"You've done that sort of thing?" Danny asked as he realised Steve was talking from experience.

"You know I can't tell you, Danny." Steve said as he looked at his friend.

Danny nodded his head as he accepted his friend's words. "Kono thinks she's found our guy." He explained.

"Alright, what are we waiting for?" Steve said as he quickly pushed to his feet and headed out of his office to see what Kono had for him. "This him?" He asked as he got his first look at the man behind Catherine's abduction.

"He's the one we've matched to the DNA found at your house." Kono confirmed. "Dimitri Rudenko, he has a military background in special ops. He arrived on the Island two weeks ago, under the alias of Darren Carter. He rented a car at the airport, I'm waiting for the rental agency to get back to me with the GPS location information." She filled in, as she flicked additional information onto the overhead screen.

"What about accomplices?" Steve asked as he studied the picture before him. Rudenko was as Elizabeth had described, his height and build matching his own.

"It seems he travelled alone." Kono said as she brought up the feed from the camera's outside the terminal building. They watched as he exited the airport and headed towards his rental without a second glance.

"What about hotel reservations? He has to be staying somewhere." Lou pointed out.

"I'm still having trouble with that." Kono admitted.

"Let's hope he isn't holed up in the Russian embassy, I don't think they would be very welcoming after last time." Chin pointed out to Steve.

"What did I miss?" Lou asked curiously as Abby's head whipped round to look at Chin.

"A concussion and busted ribs." Danny stated with a grin at his partner. "This animal ploughed straight into a car with our suspect."

"It's not like I planned to get hit by a car." Steve complained as the team chuckled at him.

"What about ducking out of the line of fire when Denning's was ready to bust your ass for it?" Danny teased with a grin.

"I had my reserve drill due." Steve denied.

"You did it at sea." Danny pointed out.

"That was a win, win scenario." Steve said with a grin.

Kono shook her head at the easy banter before explaining for Abby and Lou's benefit. "Boss man chose to do his training on the Enterprise, which just happened to be Catherine's ship. Earned yourself some pretty big points on that one, didn't ya boss?"

"I can neither confirm or deny, Kono." He replied with a smirk before he glanced back to the screen.

"Did you find anything out from your phone conversation?" Queried Abby as she glanced at Steve who was studying the photo on the plasma as if it would somehow tell him where the Lieutenant was being held.

"Very little, he has offered to take a closer look at her reports to see if there is anything that might be cause for concern in regards to her cover." Steve admitted as he forced himself to stop looking at Rudenko. His stomach was tied in knots as he thought of his girlfriend in the hands of this monster. If this was indeed linked to her work which was the only reason he could think of... they had to find her fast. The ringing of Kono's cell had them all turning to watch her as she answered the call.

"Aloha." Kono greeted as she answered the call and listened for a few moments to the person on the other end. "Mahalo." She thanked as she opened an email on the smart table and accessed the file she needed.

They all watched as the GPS tracking information appeared on the screen and Kono began sifting through the routes that Rudenko had used on a regular basis.

"Are you sure this is Rudenko's rental?" Steve asked as he saw one of the address and instantly recognised it.

"Yeah." Kono said as she turned to look at her boss.

"What's wrong, babe?" Danny asked as he saw the funny look enter his partner's face.

"Nothing." Steve instantly denied, suddenly fearing that he was the one responsible for Catherine's abduction.

….

Unknown Location.

Catherine grunted in pain as Dimitri struck her once more in the face. Her right eye was swollen so badly that she could no longer open it properly. The metallic taste in her mouth a constant reminder that he had knocked one of her teeth out and loosened some more. Her ribs were aching after he had landed several blows to her upper body, any deep breaths causing her to scrunch her eyes up to deal with the pain.

With her one good eye, she saw 'Black Widow' step forward, an annoyed look on her face at Catherine's lack of information. She grabbed hold of Catherine's chin, her fingers digging into her skin as she forced Catherine's head up so she could stare into her eyes. "I grow impatient with your lack of information. Your resistance is most tiresome, rest assured I will get what I want eventually."

"Go to hell." Catherine whispered hoarsely through her dry and cracked lips.

"String her up." She ordered as she released Catherine and took a step away from the chair.

Dimitri unfastened her legs first before he released her useless left wrist first and gripping at her right wrist as he unfastened the leather strap. He pulled her from the chair roughly, her legs unsteady she fell to her knees with a cry as she hit the cold hard floor with a heavy thud. He dragged Catherine along the floor as she tried to get her feet beneath her before he reached down and hauled her to her feet so he could place each of her wrists in the metal shackles. She felt the metal close around each of her wrists as the locks clicked into place.

"You should save yourself more pain and give me what I want Lieutenant. Where is Jane Smith?" She asked the American once again.

"Screw you." Catherine insulted once again, tensing as she waited for the next blow.

"So defiant." Black widow stated as she nodded her head to Dimitri who grinned as he closed his hand into a fist and struck the woman in her stomach. They both smiled as she cried out in pain once more. Taking a step towards the woman she grabbed at her face, her nails digging into the skin of the American woman. "We will leave you for a little while to think, but first I have a little surprise for you. Would you like to meet my little surprise?" She taunted as she nodded to Dimitri who crossed to the basement door and opened it. A few minutes later he returned with a woman who Catherine had met before.

"Hello, Catherine." She said as she grinned at the battered woman before her. She pulled her cell from her pocket as she slowly went through her contact list. "Ahh there it is." She stated as she waved the device in front of Catherine's face to show her the person she had selected.

"No." Catherine said as she took in the other woman, not wanting to believe she could be involved in any of this.

"Would you like me to give him a message?" She laughed coldly before she hit the call key and sent her a little wave as she left the basement.

…

Iolani Palace.

Steve stepped into his office when he heard his cell ringing, he frowned at his caller id when an unknown number came up. "Hello."

 _"_ _Hello, Steve." The woman on the other end said as the call was answered._

"Hey, I didn't expect to hear from again." He stated, trying to keep calm. He knew there was every possibility that this woman was responsible for Catherine's disappearance and he didn't want to spook her into doing something to hurt the woman he loved. "How are you?"

 _"_ _I was hoping we could meet for coffee." She told him coyly._

"Sounds good. I'm a little busy with a case at the minute, but I could spare time for a coffee if you don't mind dropping by the Palace." He offered, praying she would accept. If he could get her to the Palace, maybe he could get her in the interrogation room and find out what she had done to Catherine. "I can show you around at the same time."

 _"_ _Sure, I can stop by. I'll see you in a little while." She agreed as she ended the call._

Steve breathed a small sigh of relief as he opened his office door and returned to the bull pen where the team were still stood around the smart table as they attempted to locate Rudenko. "I have a possible idea on who might be behind Catherine's disappearance." He announced as he stepped to the table and brought up the driver's licence of the woman on the phone.

Danny was the first to voice his surprise as he looked at the photograph on the driver's licence. "What the hell?" He asked.

"One of the addresses is hers, and I've just had a call of her. That's too many coincidences for me." Steve told them. "She's on her way over here now, get everything off the screens. I don't want her knowing that we're on to her."

…..


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you once again for all the reviews.**

 **Five-0 start to piece things together at last, and we get to see who is behind Catherine's abduction. Well done to all of you that guessed it was Lynn. Someone on Twitter made a few suggestions regarding Sarah Carter coming back on the show, and I couldn't resist using their idea of Psyco Lynn.**

 **The team will be gearing up soon to go and recue Catherine.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Unknown location.

Catherine felt the tears slip down her face as she cried, whether it was from the pain in her body or her heart she didn't know. The circumstances behind her abduction and the questions about Jane Smith now made sense. They had been keeping tabs on Steve for over a year, and she had helped them by leaving him last year. Not for the first time she wished she had told him the truth about what she was doing.

She hated the thought of what Steve must be going through right now. He had been near frantic when El Condor had kidnapped her a few years earlier, and this was an even worse situation that she was dealing with. She just prayed that whatever happened Steve wouldn't blame himself for something that was beyond his control.

They had left her alone a short while ago, although they had not released her from the cuffs. Her shoulders ached from being suspended above her head, her feet not giving her enough support from where they just touched the ground. Her wrist was a constant throb, the metal biting into her skin causing even more pain. She shifted her weight, trying to get a little more of her weight supported by her right side. Her foot slipped and she screamed out in pain as her wrist pulled against the cold metal as it dug into her flesh. She felt something running down her wrist, her first thought it might be water from a broken pipe until she realised her skin had torn and she was bleeding. An idea suddenly began to form in her mind.

Taking several deep breaths as she tried to control the pain, she gently tried to twist her wrist using her own blood to lubricate the metal bracelet. She grinned as she managed to slip one arm from the cuff. Raising her hand up she repeated the action with her other wrist. Once she was free from the shackles she glanced around the room, trying to find the metal bucket that Dimitri had brought in earlier. Finding it beside the chair she quickly crossed the room and began inspecting it.

Using the leather cuff on the chair she was able to pry the handle from the bucket before placing it upside down just under the small basement window. Stepping up on the upturned bucket, she was able to reach the catch which had been nailed down to prevent her escape. She listened carefully for any sign of noise from above, hearing none she quickly set to work. Thankfully the window was old and crumbled easily as Catherine began digging the metal into the wood.

She felt the window shift as she pushed down on the metal as she pried the sill open and pushed the small window outwards. Pulling herself up with her good arm she was able hoist herself through the window and once she had pulled her legs through she dropped to the ground with a soft thud. She was just pushing to her feet when a nose from behind startled her. She spun around raising the metal bar to defend herself and came face to face with her three captures holding weapons in her face.

"Dimitri make sure the Lieutenant is properly restrained this time." Black Widow said as she pointed a small hand gun at Catherine. "If she tries to escape again, shoot her."

Grabbing hold of her arm he twisted it up her back as he pushed her back towards the house, where he preceded to push her along till he reached the basement steps and pushed her face first down the steps where she once again landed in a heap at the bottom. Catherine could hear Lynn laughing behind her as she slowly pushed herself upright as she attempted to get to her feet.

"I don't think he's missed you yet, he's meeting me for coffee in a little while." Lynn taunted as she walked down the steps and into the basement. "You know the hardest part of my assignment?" She asked as she stopped beside Catherine.

"Can't have been acting like a whore." Catherine smirked as she knelt up on the floor and glared up at the blond woman.

"Going through his things, the man never sleeps." Lynn complained ignoring the insult. "Every time I attempted to get out of bed to look through his computer he'd wake up."

Catherine grinned at her words, Steve always slept very deeply when she was beside him. She had slipped from his bed many a night when she couldn't sleep, curling up on the couch with one of her books and a mug of tea. It was only as she slipped back into bed in the early hours and curl up beside him that he would stir and wrap his arm around her in a possessive way as he whispered her name in his sleep.

"Never the less, Steve was such a fun assignment for me." Lynn taunted as she crouched down beside Catherine. "It was certainly no hardship sleeping with him."

Catherine clenched her teeth as she pulled on all her inner strength before she launched herself at Lynn. Her hands closed around her throat as she slammed her head into the floor. Her victory was short lived as she felt Dimitri grab hold of her and pull her from the blonde woman. He threw her down into the chair, quickly restraining her arms and legs before helping Lynn to her feet.

"You fucking bitch." Lynn shouted as she punched Catherine in the stomach before grabbing her hair and pulling her head backwards.

Catherine swallowed as she felt the cold steel of a knife against her throat. She forced her fear down as she made herself look Lynn in the eye, refusing to let the other women scare her. Catherine knew they needed her alive to find Doris or they would have already killed her. The truth was she had no idea where the other woman was.

"When this is over, your mine." Lynn promised as she ran the tip of the blade down Catherine's neck. "I deserve that for all the times he called your name when he was inside my body."

….

Iolani Palace.

"You okay?" Danny asked as he saw Steve once again glance across at the entrance to the office.

"This is my fault." Steve whispered with a shake of his head. "Catherine's in trouble because of me."

"We don't know that." Danny disagreed.

"The woman who I've been sleeping with for the past year is somehow connected to the man that has abducted my girlfriend from our bed. Oh, and did I mention she's on her way here to have coffee?" Steve growled out as he spun to face Danny.

Danny held his hands up in a placating manner as he attempted to reassure Steve. "We'll find Catherine. If Lynn is the one behind it then we already have a good head start on her. You just need to keep your cool." He pointed out, inwardly smiling at Steve's choice of words about Catherine's status in his life.

"I don't want to keep my cool, I want…" Steve started only to be broke off by Danny.

"You can punch and shoot someone later, right now you need to get your head back in the game before your psyco ex gets here for coffee." Danny explained in a patronising way.

"She is not my ex." Steve denied.

"What is it with you and the word 'girlfriend'?" Danny asked with a shake of his head. "Whatever she is, she's on her way here to see you."

"Yeah. Everything's set up in the basement, right?" Steve asked as he nervously shifted on his feet and glanced back to the doors once again.

"Yeah, Kono and Abby are both going to wait down there for you." Danny reassured him.

"You said she had a brother." Chin commented as he left his office and headed across the bullpen towards Steve and Danny.

"Yeah. She said her grandfather used to take them to the smaller Islands every weekend when they were kids. Why?" Steve asked in confusion.

"I can't find any record of a brother, and this is where it gets even stranger." Chin said as he opened a file on the smart table. "This is the only Lynn Downie I could find in Hawaii with the information you gave me. This woman died when she was fifteen years old, after being involved in a fatal car accident with her parents. No one survived it." Chin said, raising more questions on who Lynn really was.

"This doesn't make sense." Steve stated as he looked at the information before him. "Who the hell is she?" He growled out.

"I don't know, brah." Chin answered.

A noise from the corridor had them all looking up quickly. Steve forced a smile on his face as he spotted the woman in question heading into the offices with one of the Palace's police officer's. "Keep looking." Steve ordered as he stepped away from the table to greet her as he saw Chin closing the file on the smart table.

"Hey." Steve greeted as he got nearer to her, offering her a smile.

"Is everything alright?" She asked sweetly. "You look a little angry."

"Just a case we're working on, it's nothing for you to worry about." He said as he brushed her concern's away.

"This place is incredible." Lynn stated as she came to a stop in front of him. "You know I can't believe I've never been here before now."

"What not even as a kid?" Steve asked curiously. He had visited Iolani Palace many times during his time at school.

"No, never." Lynn replied with a little laugh.

"Okay, well I guess I'm going to be your tour guide today." Steve joked as he escorted her to the doors. "How about we start at the bottom and work our way up?" Steve suggested as he held the door open for her to exit before him. He nodded his head at Danny who was slipping his phone out of his pocket to alert Kono and Abby.

….

"Where are you holding Catherine?" Steve growled out as he stalked around the chair that Lynn was now occupying.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Steve." Lynn replied calmly. "I haven't seen your ex since you took that trip with her."

"Don't you dare lie to me." Steve warned as he grabbed hold of the back of her head and forced her to look at him. "I don't normally hit women but I promise I will make an exception if you don't tell me the truth." He watched as Lynn swallowed nervously.

"I don't know where she is." Lynn lied. She was inwardly cursing herself for walking into his trap. She had not been prepared for him suspecting she was involved in the Lieutenants disappearance. She had suspected nothing when she first arrived at the Palace, he had escorted her down the staircase as he had explained some of the buildings history. It was only as they had entered the basement that she had sensed something wasn't right. When he had opened the door to what he had called the blue room and stepped aside so she could enter before him, she had taken a step back. He must have anticipated her reaction as he had moved to stand behind her blocking her escape.

Steve looked up, flashing Kono a grin before turning back to Lynn as he heard her grunt of pain as Kono's fist connected with her jaw. "Where is she?" He demanded once more.

Lynn smiled at him defiantly as she taunted. "Maybe your little bitch has left you again."

Steve slapped her hard across the face, the sound of flesh meeting flesh loudly filling the room as Lynn cried out in alarm. "Where is Rudenko holding her?"

Lynn's eyes went wide at the mention of her comrade's name as she realised they had connected her too him.

Abby was going through the contents of Lynn's purse to see if anything of use could be found when she pulled out a memory stick that had been hidden in the lining of the bag. "Steve." She called as she passed him the device. "It was hidden in the lining of her bag."

"What's on it?" He asked Lynn as he held the stick in front of her face. "WHAT'S ON IT?" He shouted when she ignored him.

"Abby, go and check it out. Just make sure it's not connected to our server, I'm not taking any chances after what Gabriel pulled on us." Steve instructed as he passed the memory stick back to Abby. She nodded her head as she took it from him and left the interrogation room just as Danny appeared in the doorway.

"Chin's got an address." Danny told him quickly as he held the door open so Steve and Kono could follow him from the room.

…..


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for all the great reviews, I can't believe how many people have taken the time to leave them.** **I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.**

 **I am hoping to get the story finished before Christmas, although my little one breaks up from school on Tuesday so I might not get the time to write much. Fingers crossed I will get it done, unless my muse adds extra chapters like it usually does, lol.**

 **Catherine gets rescued in this chapter, probably just in the nick of time. Emotional and overprotective Steve is out to play and he won't be moving very far from her side anytime soon.**

 **What could Steve possibly want from his dresser?**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Steve knew that the team were watching him closely as he pulled on his tac vest and slipped the spare ammo into his vest pockets before checking his weapons. He knew they were all concerned about how he was handling things right now. Ignoring their gazes, he turned his thoughts inward as he tried to get his emotions under control. He needed all his wits about him if he was going to be any use to Catherine. His breath hitched as he thought about what she was going through right now because of him.

He slipped his hand into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out the thin gold chain that he had been carrying around for the last twelve hours. He tightened his fist around it before slipping it into his left vest pocket and closing the Velcro over it to keep it safe. Taking a couple of deep breaths and letting them out slowly, he cleared his mind and concentrated on the mission in front of him.

"Everybody ready?" Steve asked as he shouldered his weapons and headed for the cordoned off area. "Lou, make sure SWAT keeps a close eye for anyone leaving the house.

"Already on it." Lou assured him as he moved off to relay the information to the SWAT captain.

"Kono was able to get the blue prints for the building, there's a basement just of the kitchen." Danny told him as they slipped under the police tape and headed into the tree's that lined the perimeter. "Seems like the best place to keep someone."

"Yeah." Steve agreed. "Chin, Kono, you two take the upper floor. Lou and Abby clear the ground, Danny and I will take the basement." He ordered just before they split so they could all approach the house from different angles.

Steve tapped his commlink so he could speak to Duke. "Duke make sure your guys stay back till we know what we're dealing with."

"We will do, call me if you need any support." Duke told him.

"Mahalo." Steve thanked as he closed the link and concentrated on the mission.

…

Catherine gritted her teeth as Dimitri approached her with the two wires. He grinned evilly as he let the two wires touch, the sparks somehow charging the air around her. 'Black widow was beside her holding her head upright as she laughed at Catherine. "All you to do to make the pain stop is tell me where Jane Smith is." She whispered in her ear.

"I don't know." Catherine cried out in despair. "I swear I don't know."

"Then you are no use to us." 'Black widow commented as she stroked the Lieutenants cheek. "Maybe we should let Dimitri have a little fun with you before Lynn gets back. I promised her she could kill you herself. "

Catherine shuddered as the woman released her and stepped back to allow Dimitri to come closer. She felt a bucket of water hit her fully in the face before a scream was ripped from her as she felt the first touch of the electricity through her body. She felt the current run through her body, her muscles spasmed with the pain.

….

They all heard Catherine's scream just as they entered the house, the sound almost certainly coming from the basement. Chin and Kono quickly made their way through the house towards the stairs as Lou and Abby moved through the ground floor rooms. Steve's body tensed as he quickly shouldered his weapon and headed in the direction of the basement with Danny following hot on his heels.

Steve paused at the basement door as Danny placed his hand on the door knob, silently asking if Steve was ready. He took a deep breath as he nodded his head. Danny quickly pulled the door open as Steve sped through to rescue Catherine. "Five-0, drop your weapons." Steve announced as he aimed his weapon at Rudenko, who was stood over Catherine with two jump lead cables.

"Don't do it." Steve shouted as he watched in horror as Rudenko prepared to electrocute Catherine once again. Pulling the trigger, he watched in satisfaction as the bullet tore through his shoulder, the impact pushing him forward onto his knees and away from Catherine. He heard a shot ring out beside him as Danny quickly took out the woman who was stood on Catherine's other side.

Danny checked the woman before rolling her to her stomach and clicking his handcuffs onto her as he read her rights. Steve stood on Rudenko's hand preventing him from reaching for his weapon before pushing him face down into the basement floor with a well-placed knee in the man's back. He roughly pulled Rudenko's hands behind his back as he used the cable tie's he'd pulled from his pocket to restrain the injured man's hands and feet.

"Oh, god. No." Steve cried out, swallowing as he got his first good look at Catherine. Her head was lolling forward, and he feared the worst. He could see Danny already reading Rudenko his rights as he approached Catherine. Placing unsteady fingers against her neck he breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the faint pulse. He quickly unfastened the leather restraints on her ankles and wrists as he gently pulled her out of the chair and into his arms as he sank down onto the floor. He brushed her damp hair back from her bruised face as he cradled her against his chest.

"Come on, Catherine. Open those beautiful eyes for me." He whispered against her hair as he felt the tears running down his face.

"Steve." She croaked out through her dry and cracked lips as she shivered, her teeth chattering from the cold air hitting her damp body. She opened her one good eye to stare up into his handsome face.

"I'm here, baby." He said as he bent to place a kiss across her forehead.

"Cold." She chattered as she grasped at his tac vest with her right hand.

"I know baby, we'll get you warm real soon." He promised as he rubbed at her cold skin.

"Love you." She whispered as she snuggled her face into the crook of his neck.

"I love you too, Catherine." He told her quietly as he cupped her cheek, no longer scared to say the words to her.

"Paramedics are on their way." Danny said quietly as he approached his friend's.

"Kay." Steve responded as he held Catherine tightly in his arms as he attempted to get some warmth into her shaking body. "See if you can find a blanket or something."

"Kono's bringing one down for you." Danny assured him as he stood guard over his friend and the woman he loved. Danny watched as Steve combed his fingers through Catherine's hair as he continued to whisper words of reassurance and love to her as he held her in his arms. Swallowing back the bile he forced himself to look at her body, taking in the bruises and swelling that was visible on her body.

"God, Cath. I'm so sorry." Steve croaked out as he held her.

"Not your fault." Catherine slurred out.

He sensed Kono beside him a moment before he felt the brush of her arm against his as she draped a blanket around Catherine's body before laying a second one on the floor beside him. He noticed she'd placed something else beside him, but couldn't quite tell what it was with Catherine held in his arms like she was.

"I got Lou to grab the first aid kit from the trunk of the Camaro." She explained as she opened it and began pulling items from the bag. "He grabbed one of your shirts from your go bag as well. He thought Cath might want to change her t-shirt."

"Mahalo." He thanked her before turning his attention back to Catherine once more.

"Okay, baby. I'm just going to lie you down while I take a look at you." He soothed as he laid Catherine down gently on the blanket so he could assess her injuries. He quickly wrapped her wrists, taking extra care when he noticed the swelling and discolouration on her left wrist. "Okay, let's get you into a dry shirt. I promise I'll be real gentle." He whispered into her hair as he brushed a kiss across her forehead. Pulling her into a sitting position with her front against his chest he pulled of the wet t-shirt that she was wearing.

"I'll go wait by the door." Danny said as he realised his partner was about to remove his girlfriend's clothes. He might appreciate that Catherine was an incredibly good looking woman, but he had no wish to see her without her clothes.

"One hand at a time," Steve urged her gently as he slipped her right arm out of the t-shirt. "Right one first, then we'll take it over your head and down your left arm. See that wasn't so bad." He soothed as he repeated his actions and pulled on the dry one Kono had handed him.

Steve clenched his teeth as he saw the bruises covering her torso, the area covering her ribs already a deep purple colour. He pulled the t-shirt down covering as much of her cold skin as he could before wrapping the blanket snuggly around her body. "Let's get you out of here." He suggested softly as he got to his knees and managed to stand up without having to place her on the ground. Brushing a gentle kiss across her cheek to soothe her when she cried out from the pain the movement caused he carried her from the basement and up the steps into the main body of the house.

He ignored the gasps of the SWAT and HPD officers that were milling around the outside of the building as he carried her outside to the waiting EMT's. Placing her on the gurney he stepped back to let the two Paramedics work on her.

"Her name's Catherine Rollins. She's been electrocuted, her left wrist is broken, possible broken ribs and she has severe lacerations on her wrists. She's also got cuts to her feet. She been conscious since we found her." Steve explained as he swiped at the tears on his face

"We'll take it from here, Commander." One of the Paramedics said as he began inserting an IV line into the back of her right hand as his colleggue placed an oxygen mask over her face. "We'll be transporting her to Queens."

"No." Steve quickly disagreed, wanting Catherine to have a more security around her till he knew exactly what threat he was dealing with from Lynn. "I want her at Tripler."

"Okay." He agreed before turning to his collegue as they continued to stabilise their patient for transport.

Steve turned around to see where his team were, sighing in relief when he spotted Danny walking towards him. He didn't want to let Catherine out of sight for one minute longer than he had to. "I need you to handle things here." Steve explained as Danny came to a stop in front of him.

"We got your back, babe. Go and take care of Catherine, we'll ALL be at the hospital as soon as we can." Danny told him as he glanced past Steve to look at Catherine's battered body. "The woman is being transported to Tripler for surgery, but; Rudenko's been treated and released into our care, do you want the first shot at him?" He asked.

"Probably wiser if I don't right now." Steve admitted, knowing in his current state of mind he wouldn't know when to stop. "I can't lose her." He blurted out as he sniffed back the tears that once again threatened to fall.

Danny pulled him into a hug, slapping him on the back as he told Steve. "That Ramboette is tough, she'll be running laps round you before you know it. Don't let her get away this time." He urged as he stepped back from the hug.

"Yeah, about that? I need you to pick something up for me, before you come to the hospital." Steve told him as he glanced back at Catherine with a small smile. "It's in my dresser." He said cryptically as he moved back to Catherine as the two paramedics began carefully loading her into the waiting ambulance.

"We're ready to go, Commander." One of them said as he held the door open while he climbed inside.

Danny watched as Steve climbed into the back of the ambulance and the door was closed behind him. Turning back towards the house to finish processing the crime scene he wondered what it was Steve could possibly want from his dresser.

….


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you once again for everyone who took the time to review.**

 **Catherine starts to get the medical treatment she requires in this chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Steve moved swiftly down the corridor as he followed the gurney carrying his girlfriend towards the ER. He was reluctant to let Catherine out of his sight, and was hoping he could charm the ER Doctor on duty to let him remain with Catherine while she was assed and treated. The paramedics were busy relating her vitals and condition to the attending nurses as they transferred her from the gurney onto the bed. One of the nurses was busy hooking the IV bag up as a second nurse prepared a vial of pain killers to inject into the port on the IV.

"Commander, if you'd like to step outside we'll call you when we've finished with the patient." Doctor Coombs told him as he entered the room.

"I'd prefer to stay with her, Major." Steve objected as he glanced back to Catherine who was trying to fight the nurses who were helping her.

He quickly stepped forwards and around one of the nurses so he was in her line of vision as he took hold of her hand gently. "Catherine, it's okay, your safe now. You're at Tripler, I'll be right here when you wake up." He reassured her as her head tilted sideways towards his voice as she stopped fighting the nurses **.**

"You and the Lieutenant are friends?" Doctor Coombs asked as he watched the way the Lieutenant settled at his words.

"She's my Girlfriend." Steve quickly acknowledged as he stepped back to allow the medical staff to do their work. "I'm also listed as next of kin."

"Very well, just keep out of our way while we work." The Doctor told him, realising that it would be difficult to remove the Commander without calling for security.

Steve nodded his head in agreement as his gaze once more settled on Catherine. The nurses were busy cutting the clothes from her body revealing the full extent of her injuries. Although he'd briefly glimpsed at the bruises when he had bandaged her wrists and changed the wet t-shirt, the lighting hadn't been bright enough to show the true extent. Her ribs were a deep purple and Steve knew even without an x-ray she had more than one broken rib.

One eye was completely swollen shut and her face was a multitude of bruises and abrasions, her lip had been split and her nose had been bleeding at some point although it did not look as if it had been broken. The skin of her wrists was torn and inflamed, the blood still flowing from the cuts as the nurses began to clean and bandage them. The swelling and discolouration on her wrist almost certainly the result of a break.

The cuts on her feet were being treated as a nurse used a pair of tweezers to remove the gravel before irrigating the wound with saline solution. The ping of the gravel hitting the metal kidney dish echoing through the room. Once all the debris had been removed she began taping gauze pads over the sole of each foot before carefully bandaging each one.

"Is there any chance the Lieutenant could be pregnant?" Doctor Coombs asked suddenly as he looked across at him drawing him from his reverie.

"None." Steve quickly denied although the thought of Catherine carrying his child was a welcome thought.

"I want a wrist and chest X-ray." Coombs quickly ordered on receiving the information. "And get a CT scan arranged asap."

"There wasn't any indication she'd been…." He broke of not able to voice the words as the doctor turned to look at him.

"Raped?" The doctor suggested.

"Yeah." He admitted thickly. He knew in his heart it wouldn't alter how he felt about Catherine, but knowing would enable him to best help her through it. "Her clothes weren't ripped or missing, but…"

"Get a rape kit set up." He instructed one of the nurses before turning back to Steve. "Commander, I think you should step outside while we do that. I'm sure the Lieutenant would be a lot more comfortable with the knowledge you weren't present during the examination."

"Okay." He agreed as he took one last look at Catherine and reluctantly headed out of the room. "I'll wait outside."

…

Steve glanced at his watch once again, sighing as he realised it had been half an hour since he had left the room under the doctor's advisement. He had paced back and forth for several minutes before one of the nurses had suggested he should sit down and wait. He'd glared at the poor women until she had quickly scurried away to return to her duties. A glance around the waiting area had resulted in him realising that several eyes were watching him closely as he paced, the mothers pulling their children closer as they nervously watched him.

Dropping down into a chair he rested his arms on his legs as he lowered his head to stare at the floor. It was then that he realised that he was still wearing his tac vest. Sitting upright in the chair he removed his sig from the shoulder holster in the vest before slipping it back into the holster on his thigh. He began pulling at the Velcro straps that held the Kevlar vest in place as he pulled it from his body, placing it across his knee he removed Catherine's thin gold chain from the breast pocket of the vest and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Turning to the side he placed the vest on the chair beside him as he settled down to wait once more.

"Any news?" Chin asked a few minutes later as he took a seat beside him.

"Not yet. The doctor kicked me out a while back." Steve admitted as he turned to look at his Ohana as they all filtered into the hospital waiting room.

"Did you get an id on the woman?" Steve asked as Chin took the seat beside him.

"We did, she's an associate of Rudenko's." Lou stated as he took one of the empty chairs behind Steve.

"I don't suppose they saw fit to explain how Lynn managed to hire them?" Steve asked them as he looked around noticing Danny was absent.

"They clamped up tighter than a fish's ass." Lou replied Lou.

"Danny said he was swinging by your place." Kono added as she saw Steve glance around.

"Yeah, I asked him to pick something up for me." He said cryptically, not wanting to say anything to anyone just yet on his plans. He had no wish to jinx things again by telling everyone he was going to propose to Catherine.

Kono glanced across at Chin and Lou with a grin on her face, hoping her instincts were correct. Sitting down in one of the chairs beside Steve, she silently offered her support for Catherine. It wasn't long before Lou disappeared down the corridor returning a few minutes later with cups of coffee to help them all get through the waiting. Kono watched as Lou pressed one of the cups into Steve's hands; he looked at it for several minutes as if trying to make sense of what it was.

"

A sound behind them alerted the team to Danny's presence as he quickly joined them, discreetly handing Steve the small box he'd found in the dresser drawer.

"Thanks, buddy." Steve said gratefully as he slipped the box into the pocket of his cargo pants.

"Is there any news?" Danny asked as he dropped down into the chair beside Steve as Chin stood up to make room for him.

Steve shook his head. "No." Steve whispered as he went back to staring at the floor as he waited for news. A short time later he was roused from his inner musings when he heard his name being called.

"Commander McGarrett." Doctor Coombs called as he exited the treatment room to speak with the other man.

"Doctor, how is she?" He asked quickly getting to his feet along with the rest of his team.

"Her left wrist is broken and she has several broken ribs as suspected, the wounds on her feet and torso are all superficial and I don't believe they will scar. However, I suspect the damage done to her wrists will cause significant scaring. She hasn't damaged the tendons, although I suspect she will need some physio to get full movement in them once the skin has healed. The left eye although severely swollen has not sustained any damage to the capillaries. We've started her on a broad-spectrum antibiotic to deal with any infection that might arise due to the various abrasions." He paused, taking a breath before he continued.

"The electrical burns have been treated, her heart is beating strongly enough that I have no concerns with it. The CT scan has revealed no damage to the brain and she doesn't appear to have any internal bleeds. I'd say overall the Lieutenant was extremely lucky." He looked directly at the Commander as he spoke his next words, lowering his voice so people around wouldn't hear his words. "The Lieutenant has several small bite marks and bruises in places that would suggest she'd been gripped rather tightly while sex has taken place. The examination though did not reveal any signs of tearing and we were unable to collect samples."

Steve let out the breath he'd been holding. "The bite marks…" He began. "would they be more nips rather than actual deep bites?"

"Yes." He agreed with curiosity, wondering what the Commander was suggesting.

"Those were me." Steve admitted sheepishly as he ignored the snickers coming from his team mates behind him. "They were visible before the kidnapping."

"And the finger mark bruises on her thigh's?" Doctor Coombs asked.

"Most definitely mine." Steve agreed with a nod of his head. "Can I see her?"

"Were just getting her settled in a room. We have her sedated at present and she will be rather groggy and disorientated when she wakes up. Can I presume you'll be staying with her?" He asked.

"Yes, Sir." Steve answered, not prepared to let Catherine wake up on her own.

"Good. I'll have someone come get you once she's settled in her room." The Doctor said as he prepared to return to the treatment room.

"Thank you." Steve said as he held out his hand to the Doctor.

"You're welcome, Commander." He said as he took the offered hand.

Steve watched as the Doctor returned to the treatment room, before he allowed himself to grin. He felt Danny by his side a moment before he felt his friends hand on his shoulder as he gave it a squeeze.

"Told you she'd be fine." Danny pointed out. "But, please give us some warning next time you discuss your sex life." He teased as he slapped his partner on the back.

…


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for taking the time to leave reviews, so glad you're enjoying the story.**

 **Well thanks to Lilo and Stitch, I got to have some quality me time (my time to write) while my little boy sat in front of the tele and watched a DVD from start to finish. (Very big achievement for him as he doesn't usually have the patience to watch films) I can only assume it was because the story was one he could relate to.**

 **Catherine shares a few things with Steve in this chapter, he'll be hurt and angry when he finds out the truth behind the abduction. They also get to have another talk about their future.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Catherine couldn't make out the muffled voices or words around her, but she felt the soothing touch on her arm. Concentrating on the sensation, she was able to recognise the calloused touch of her boyfriend as he gently stroked at the skin of her arm while he gently held her hand in a lose grip. Feeling his reassuring touch, she closed her mind and drifted back off to sleep.

She slowly came awake, blinking the fogginess from her brain as she took in her surroundings and her injuries. Focusing on her feet, she wiggled her toes and moved her ankles. Feeling an odd sense of discomfort and wondering why she was wearing a pair of socks. Next, she tried her knees and legs, everything feeling fine as she felt the movement. She wiggled her fingers and immediately wished she hadn't when the movement caused severe pain to shoot down from her wrists.

"Catherine, try not to move to much." Steve told her with a worried voice as he held her arms to stop her movements. "You're in the hospital, you're safe." He reassured her.

Catherine's eyes shot open to look on his. He smiled down at her, lowering his head so he could brush a kiss across her forehead. The stubble on his jaw telling her he'd spent the night beside her. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember what had happened; she remembered kissing Steve as he'd gone off to work, before snuggling up to his pillow to sleep. Her eyes shot open as it all came back to her. "Lynn." She croaked out.

"It's okay, we got her. She won't hurt you anymore." He promised as he gently brushed her hair back from her face before reaching over to grab the cup that had been placed on the nightstand.

"No, Steve, you don't understand." Catherine managed to get out.

He guided the straw to her lips so she could take a few sips of the tepid liquid. "She's at the Palace with her two accomplices." Steve assured her as he placed the cup back on the night stand.

"Lynn's a Russian agent." Catherine got out, watching the shock appear on Steve's face at the news.

"What?" He asked in shock.

"She's an agent." She said softly. "You were an assignment for her."

"You knew?" He asked as he suddenly stood up and began pacing the room.

"No." She was quick to deny. "How could you even think that?" She asked as the tears spilled from her eyes.

"What the hell did she want from me?" He said in frustration as he stalked to the end of her bed and gripped the bed rail tightly. He was beyond angry at the situation.

"Your mother." Catherine told him simply. "They wanted Doris."

Steve gasped at her words, his eyes locking with hers. "My mother!" He exclaimed in surprise.

"They kept asking me where Jane Smith was, that's the name she uses with the Agency." Catherine explained.

"You were hurt because of my mother." He suddenly stated as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. "You were hurt because of me."

"Steve, no." Catherine denied as she reached her hand out to touch him. "I was hurt because they believed I knew where Doris was. I promise you, I don't know." She added when she saw him look up at her.

He nodded his head acknowledging her words. He felt sick to his stomach with the knowledge that Lynn had only been using him to get to his mother. He was angry with himself that he had been so trusting and not seen past her lies. He was even more upset that Catherine had been hurt because of his damned Mother.

"I'm so sorry, Steve." She apologised, knowing the hurt he was feeling right now. "She must have realised when I came back to get you, you didn't know where Doris was."

"And when I came back without the two of you, they found a way to get you home by going after your dad." Steve realised as he began piecing things together and realising that Patrick's assault was the result of Lynn wanting to know his mother's whereabouts.

"I really am sorry, Steve. I honestly thought she seemed nice." Catherine told him with a small smile.

"Yeah?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow at her words.

"Okay, maybe I did want to scratch her eyes out and smack the bitch in her face. But, that was only because she was with the man I loved." Catherine admitted with a grin.

Steve smiled at her words, getting to his feet as he leaned across her gently to brush a kiss across her lips. Pulling away from her, he sat his hip on the edge of the bed as he placed his hand on her hip. He shifted his gaze to watch as he caressed her hip and her stomach with his hand. "When the Doctor was treating you, he asked if you could be pregnant. I mean I know it's not something we discussed, and that you're not, but…" He broke off to take a breath only for Catherine to carry on with his train of thoughts.

"I always imagined any baby I had would have your nose and your smile." Catherine admitted as she placed her hand over his on her stomach.

"You want kids?" He asked hopefully.

"Only if their yours." She told him softly with a smile filled with love.

He leaned forward bracing one hand on the bed beside her as he kissed her. He grinned as he pulled away from her lips to look in to her face. "So, when we get you home?" He asked hopefully.

"I'm all yours." She promised as she gave his hand a squeeze.

He slipped his hand into the pocket of his cargo's, pulling out the small jewellery box as he sat up on the bed and gently took her left hand in his. Looking down into her face he smiled as he saw his past, his present and his future all merging into one. "There's just one thing we need to do before we start working on making our family." He told her as he paused and took a breath.

"This is something I should have done a long time ago. Catherine, I love you with every breath that I breath. You have and will always be the only one that holds my heart, I gave it to you a long time ago, and I know I lost my way for a short time. But, please believe me when I say I will never lose my way again as long as you are beside me." He opened the box and pulled the ring out as watched the tears run down cheeks.

"The day you left, I had the whole thing planned out. I was going to make reservations at your favourite sushi place, then take you out to Waimanalo to watch the sunset with you. I love you Catherine, and I can't imagine my life without you in it." He paused taking a deep breath.

"Just ask me already." She urged him with a smile.

"Catherine Rollins will you marry me?" He finally got out.

"Yes." She said simply as she held her hand out for him to slip the white gold band onto her finger.

"If you want something else, we can…" He started, only to be cut off.

"I don't want anything else. I have everything I need right here." She promised as she tugged on his arm to get him to kiss her.

"Just so you know, I don't want a long engagement." Steve insisted as he playfully bumped his nose against hers.

"I don't either." She admitted with a grin as she ordered. "Now will you just kiss your Fiancée?"

"Yes, ma'am." He agreed as he swooped down to kiss her. Lifting her from the bed, he gently took her in his arms as he kissed her.

A cough from the doorway had them drawing apart as they turned to see who the visitor was. "Good morning Lieutenant, I'm Glinda one of your nurses." The woman said as she entered the room, glaring at the Commander so he would remove himself from the bed.

"Morning." Catherine replied with a blush at having been caught.

"Commander if you'd like to step outside for a moment." She suggested.

"It's okay, I'll stay." He said as he sat down in the chair and crossed his arms as he watched the nurse bustling around the room.

"Steve, why don't you go home and get a shower and change your clothes." Catherine suggested with a smile.

"You sure?" He asked her, waiting till she nodded her head. "Okay, I've got a couple of things I need to take care of anyway. I'll be back in a couple of hours." He promised as he stood up, and ignoring the nurse kissed Catherine once more.

"I'll be here when you get back, Sailor." She reassured him as he pulled away from the kiss and headed towards the door. He stopped and turned to look at her, smiling happily as he pulled open the door and exited the room.

"I'm wondering what's putting the biggest smile on your face honey, the man or the ring?" The nurse chuckled as she began removing the dressings on her patient's wrists.

"That's easy." Catherine told her with a grin. "Both."

…..

Pulling his cell out of his pocket as he left the room, he hit speed dial and waited for his call to be answered. "Catherine's awake." Steve announced as Danny answered his phone.

 _"_ _That's great news, babe. How is she?" Danny asked his partner._

"She's going to be pretty sore for a while, but otherwise she seems okay. She told me something about her kidnapping." Steve said quietly as he changed the subject from Catherine's health. "Lynn didn't hire them, she's one of them."

 _"_ _What, wait, you mean?" Danny got out in surprise._

"Yeah. Let Chin know to widen his search for her, she's a Russian agent. They have been trying to locate my mother. They went after Catherine because they believed she would know where Doris was." Steve explained sadly as entered the stairwell and made his way downstairs.

 _"_ _You okay?" Danny asked in concern as he realised the implications of Steve's words_.

"Yeah. At least Catherine doesn't blame me for it." Steve said tiredly.

 _"_ _Of course she doesn't, you idiot." Danny chastised as he mentally shook his head at his partner in frustration. "So, did you ask?" He wondered out loud._

"Yes, I did." Steve replied cryptically, smiling as he imagined Danny rolling his eyes in frustration.

 _"_ _Well? What did she say?" Danny demanded._

"She said, YES." Steve answered him, grinning as his thoughts went to his Fiancée.

" _Congratulations." Danny said. "I'm happy for you, babe."_

"Thanks, buddy. Can you let everyone know, and ask them to meet me at Tripler in a couple of hours?" Steve asked as he began mentally working out what he needed to accomplice before he returned to the hospital.

 _"_ _We'll be there." Danny assured him._

"Thanks. Can you pick me up? I need to head home so I can shower and change." Steve said as he opened the door and exited the stairwell, headed down the corridor to his first port of call.

 _"_ _I'm just leaving now, I'll see you in 20 minutes." Danny promised as they said their final goodbyes before ending the call._

….


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you once again for all the Reviews.**

 **Steve has been busy in planning mode since he left the hospital.**

 **My hope of finishing this story before Christmas hasn't worked out, I've just been too busy with my little boy as we prepare for his first Christmas with his new family. He's requiring more attention from us as the day approaches, the changes in his small life massive as he misses his siblings and the foster family he's been with for such a long time.**

 **I will be continuing the story as soon as I get the time to write it, and McRoll will get their endgame.**

 **Merry Christmas.**

 **Lots of Love Wendy x**

Iolani Palace.

After ending his call and returning his cell to his pocket, Danny left his office and made his way towards the bullpen where the rest of the team where stood around the smart table as they went through the evidence they had collected from the house where Catherine had been held prisoner. Lou and himself had interviewed Dimitri Rudenko yesterday after they had located Catherine, unfortunately he had been unwilling to give them anything, even with Lou rough treatment.

Anna Petrovitch was still being treated at Tripler and had not yet woke up. The shot from Danny's gun had entered her body and lodged its self between two of her ribs resulting in her having to have surgery to remove it. Danny had insisted that SWAT would guard her until she was healthy enough to be transferred to the Palace for questioning.

What none of the team could understand was how Lynn had managed to hire Rudenko and Petrovitch to kidnap and torture Catherine like they had. From what Steve, had shared with Danny, Lynn had been the one to end things. Danny now realised from his conversation with Steve that Lynn was more involved with the two Russian's than anyone had first thought.

"I've just spoken to Steve. Catherine is awake and was able to fill in a few blanks with the case." Danny shared with the team as he joined them in the bullpen. "Steve says to run Lynn's name through foreign data bases, Catherine say's she's a Russian agent."

"For real?" Kono asked in surprise as she looked up at Danny.

"Yes, they were after Doris." Danny added as he pulled his keys out of his pocket.

"Certainly, didn't see that one coming." Lou commented.

"How's he taking it?" Chin asked in concern.

"You know Steve, he's blaming himself for Catherine being injured." Danny admitted.

"She fooled a lot of people." Lou pointed out as the others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Steve's asked me to make an announcement on his behalf." Danny told them with a grin as he changed the subject. "Catherine has said yes."

"Said yes to what? Wait you mean YES, yes?" Kono squealed as she jumped up and down like an excited teenager, grabbing hold of Chin to hug him excitedly.

"That is indeed great news." Chin agreed as he hugged Kono back.

"Sure is." Lou acknowledged with a smile.

"He wants us all to meet him at Tripler in a couple of hours. I'm just going to pick him up, he wants to run home and change." Danny explained as he headed down the corridor to the exit.

…..

Danny's Camaro.

"Thanks." Steve said as he slipped into the driver's seat of Danny's car.

"You're welcome, babe." Danny said as he clipped his seat belt into place as Steve gunned the engine and headed out of the parking lot.

"Did you let the team know about Lynn?" Steve asked as he drove.

"Yeah, Chin was reaching out to a few of our friends to see what he can get on her. She's refusing to talk unless she can see you." Danny admitted as he turned to look at Steve.

"Yeah well, she's going to have a long wait, I'm going nowhere till Catherine's home safe. I can't believe I didn't see her for who she is." Steve growled out in frustration.

"She fooled us all, Steve." He pointed out. "None of us suspected she was anything more than just a secretary."

"I guess it explains a few things though." He said tiredly as he glanced across at Danny. "How many women would have stuck around for a second date after what went down on that Island? Or when they discovered you'd slept with another woman just after starting a relationship with them. She found out about that woman in Maui." Steve explained at his partner's blank look.

"Alyssa from the plane?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, she wasn't all that concerned that I had cheated. Then there was the time she found Cath's engagement ring in my drawer." He explained.

"Just out of curiosity have you told Cath any of this?" Danny asked.

"She knows, we discussed it when we had our talk." He said as he nodded his head in agreement. "I just hate the idea that she…"

"Used you?" Danny said when Steve broke of his words.

"Yeah." Steve agreed.

"I'm your best man, right?" Danny asked as he suddenly changed the subject bringing the conversation to Catherine.

"You know you are." Steve confirmed with a smile before grinning at his partner. "You might want to start working on that speech, we don't want a long engagement."

….

McGarrett's Residence.

After picking his truck up from the Palace he'd headed home, pulling up in his driveway before slowly making his way up the path to his door. He placed the key in the lock and took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for the carnage that had been his living room. Turning the key in the lock he slowly opened the door and stepped inside. He sighed in relief as he looked around the room and found no evidence of what had transpired the previous morning. He spotted an envelope on the coffee table addressed to him in Lou's handwriting. Crossing to the table he picked it up and pulled the sheet of paper out of the envelope.

 **** **Steve,**

 **We figured you wouldn't want to start cleaning the place up when you finally made it home, so Renee stopped by and went through the house after CSU had finished processing the place. She's changed the sheets and tossed the other's in the wash. There's also a couple plates of food made up in the fridge, just toss em in the microwave when you want them.**

 **Be sure and let us know if you need anything else, even if it's just an ear.**

 **Lou.**

Steve was touched by the gesture, knowing in his heart it was the last thing he had wanted to face upon his return home. Making a mental note to thank Lou and Renee, he headed upstairs to his bedroom. Pushing open the door he briefly glanced around the room, the bed had been remade with fresh sheets from the linen closet and the lamp returned to its place by the bed. Pulling Catherine's chain from his shirt pocket he placed it on her dresser, tracing the small delicate filigree letters as he untangled the chain.

Pulling his shirt and t-shirt over his head he crossed the room and entered the end-suite, tossing the dirty clothes in the hamper before stripping out of his pants and his shorts. After grabbing a quick shower and towelling off, he pulled on a pair of shorts while he packed a bag for Catherine. He flicked through the contents of her half of the closet looking for the dress she'd worn during her shore leave in Mumbai. He'd seen her stow the dress in the closet along with several others that she'd unpacked from the boxes out of her storage locker. He smiled as he flicked past a few of her most memorable dresses, the events still vividly fresh in his mind as he searched.

Locating the dress, he had been looking for he placed it in the dress bag and zipped it shut before pulling his uniform from his closet and quickly dressing. Checking in the mirror to ensure everything was straight and in place with his uniform, he grabbed his cover and Catherine's things as he headed out of his bedroom and downstairs to grab what he needed from the safe in the study.

…..

Tripler Army Medical Centre.

Steve checked his watch as he climbed out of his truck, a quick check around the parking lot assuring him none of the team had arrived yet. Grabbing the flowers, duffle and dress bag he'd placed on the back seat he closed and locked the door as he made his way inside. Side stepping several hospital visitors who looked as if they were lost he made his way through the maze of corridors that lead towards the bank of elevators. Pressing the call button, he waited for one of the cars to arrive. He didn't wait long for a car to arrive, quickly stepping inside and pressing the button for Catherine's floor.

As he stepped from the elevator he quickly headed towards the nurse's station, hoping to find one of the nurses so he could set his plans in motion. Thankfully the nurse that had interrupted Catherine and himself earlier was stood by the desk doing paperwork as he approached.

"Glinda, I need a favour." He asked her as he came to a stop by her side.

"Is that so, Commander?" She queried as she turned to face him.

"I have a little surprise lined up for Catherine, I really need your help to pull it off." He explained with his most charming smile.

"What exactly do you need?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"I just need you to help her into these before our friends arrive." He insisted as he held out the dress bag and duffle for her to take. "Please."

"You know those cute little puppy dog eyes are not going to work with me." Glinda said as she crossed her arms. "The Lieutenant requires rest, not a party."

"It's not a party." Steve promised, sighing in frustration when she wouldn't budge on her position to help him out. Slipping his hand into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to her.

"Well why didn't you say that." She said as she saw the contents of the letter.

"So, you'll help?" Steve asked hopefully.

"Consider it done. You want to pop in first to see her?" Glinda asked as she took the dress bag and duffle from him.

"No, I just have one more stop to do first. Can you tell her I'll be back in about 10 minutes?" Steve asked.

"I will, now get going." Glinda ordered as she placed her hand on the handle to the Lieutenants room and entered.

….

"You up for a visitor?" Steve asked as he tapped on the door frame of Patrick's room.

"Come on in, son." Patrick said from the bed.

"You're looking better than last time I saw you." Steve said as he entered the room and took a seat in the chair beside Patrick's bed.

"I've still a way to go yet." Patrick assured him, finally taking a good look at Steve. "So, you have something to ask me?"

"Yes, Sir I do." Steve agreed as he took a deep breath, knowing this would be more difficult than asking Catherine to marry him. "I'd like your permission to marry your daughter." Steve got out on a rush staring at a spot on the wall.

Patrick chuckled as he saw how nervous Steve was. "Have you asked my baby girl?"

"Yes, Sir." Steve answered.

"I'm willing to bet she said yes?" He raised his eyes to watch as Steve nodded his head, the beaming smile telling him more than anything what his daughters answer had been. "You've always had my permission Son, from the day she introduced you to us."

"Thank you." Steve said sincerely.

"Now I know Catherine's tough, she takes after me." He said with a wink as he held his hand out for Steve. "You make sure you look after my baby girl though."

"I intend to do just that, if she'll let me." Steve agreed with a smile as he took the offered hand. "There's something else I want to discuss with you." Steve said as he quickly outlined his surprise for Catherine.

…

After the visit with Catherine's dad Steve made his way back to his fiancée room along with Elizabeth. He had helped Patrick set up the tablet so that he would be able to skype with Catherine while he implemented his plan.

As he neared Catherine's room he spotted his friends waiting near the nurse's station along with the other person who was vital in the execution and succession of Steve's current mission objective. Steve nodded his head at Glinda who was stood behind the nurse's station as he approached the group of people.

"Commander." The Chaplain acknowledged as he spotted the Naval officer approaching him.

"What the hell's going on, Steven?" Danny questioned as he spotted Steve approaching them wearing his dress white's.

"How's your speech coming along?" Steve asked his stunned friend.

"NOW?" Danny asked rather loudly.

"As long as she doesn't say no." Steve joked as moved towards the door to Catherine's room and rapped his knuckles gently on the door before opening it and walking inside.

"Hey." Catherine called out as she saw Steve step into her room.

"You look amazing." He told her as he caught sight of her in the dress he'd chosen for her.

"Thank you." She told him sincerely. "What's with the uniform and the dress?" She asked indicating what they were both wearing.

"We'll be both agreed we didn't want a lengthy engagement, so I planned this special op." He explained as he opened the door a little wider so their friends could enter along with the hospital Chaplain. "Marry me?" He asked as he held out the bridal bouquet of fresh orchids and calla lilies that he'd picked up from the florist on his way back to Tripler.

…..


	16. Chapter 16

**Phew, finished this chapter at long last. I've spent a couple of days going over my own wedding video to get the wording and wedding right for Steve and Catherine. (Please excuse the fact this might be slightly different wording to what might take place during a wedding ceremony in the states. I myself was raised Church or England)**

 **I will be writing about Catherine's return home, and there will be more on the case. My original intent was to add just two more chapters, this one and the next. My muse has other ideas, so I will be continuing with the story for several more chapters, yet.**

 **Thank you for everyone who took the time to leave such lovely reviews.**

 **As some of you may have guessed from my previous note, my husband and I adopted a little boy a few months back. This was our first Christmas as a family, and although a little overwhelming for him at times, he has had a spectacular Christmas. I will readily admit we did perhaps overdo it a little bit with the presents, but the joy on his face at seeing so many things just solely for himself was priceless.**

 **I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas,**

 **lots of Love Wendy x**

 _"_ _Well, we both agreed we didn't want a lengthy engagement so I planned this special op." He explained as he opened the door a little wider so their friends could enter along with the hospital Chaplain. "Marry me?" He asked as he held out the bridal bouquet of fresh orchids and Calla lilies that he's picked up from the florist on his way back to Tripler._

"Come here!" She urged as she smiled at him from where she was propped up against the pillows on the bed.

He nervously crossed the room at her bidding, spurred on by her smile. He let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding as she took the flowers from him and placed them on the bed beside her. He looked at her face, not seeing the bruises that marred her skin, only her beauty as she cupped his cheek with her hand.

"There is nothing I want more than to be your wife." She promised in a husky whisper filled with love.

"You, kind of had me worried there for a minute." He shared just before he kissed her quickly all too aware they had an audience.

"Help me, up." She urged. "I refuse to marry you while I'm lay down."

"You really should be resting." He pointed out even as he helped her to sit up and swing her legs over the edge of the bed.

"I promise, I'll rest later." She reassured him, trying not to breath to deeply because of her ribs.

"I'm holding you to that." Steve promised as he helped her smooth her dress down over her legs before handing Danny the tablet he had tucked under his arm.

"What's this for?" Danny asked as he eyed the tablet in his hands.

"Patrick's waiting for us to Skype him." Steve explained.

Catherine laughed as a thought came to her. "You asked my dad's permission, didn't you?" She enquired as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe." He said a little sheepishly, hoping it wasn't going to be a problem.

"That was very sweet of you." She said as she gave his bicep a squeeze.

"Do you have the licence?" Captain Anders, the hospital chaplain asked as he stepped more fully into the room.

"Yes, Sir." Steve agreed as he pulled the folded document out of his pocket and passed it to the Chaplain.

"How did you manage that without me?" Catherine wanted to know.

"I might have called in a favour with the Governor's office." Steve explained with a grin.

"Of course, you did." Catherine replied with a teasing smile.

"Is everyone ready to begin?" The Chaplain asked as he glanced around the room at everyone present. He had been pleasantly surprised when Lieutenant Commander McGarrett had searched him out earlier to request he preform a marriage. It was such a joyous change from giving comfort and support to the patients and their relatives during difficult and often life altering times.

"Absolutely." Catherine confirmed as she picked up the bouquet of fresh flowers she'd placed on the bed beside her.

"Yeah." Steve agreed as he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out an old battered box and passed it to Danny. "You'll be wanting these." He told Danny.

"You got second hand?" Danny asked as he opened the small box, revealing the matching gold wedding bands nestled in the blue velvet.

"They belonged to my grandparents. He took it off the evening before because he was painting the nursery for my dad, and he forgot to put it back on before he returned to duty. Gran refused to part with them, she never wanted to move on." Steve explained as he turned to look at Catherine. "She left them to Aunt Deb, who passed them on to me. If you'd rather we picked…." He started only to be cut off by Catherine.

"These are just perfect, Steve." Catherine reassured him with a soft smile. "I love the idea of wearing your Grandmother's ring."

He sighed in relief at her words, returning her smile as he turned to face the Chaplain. He noticed Danny had set up the tablet and Skyped Patrick who was waiting to give his daughter away.

"Hey, baby girl." Patrick greeted her. "I'm afraid this is the best I can do for walking you down the aisle right now."

"That's okay, Dad. I'm just glad you'll be here to watch me get married." Catherine told him, relieved that he was awake enough to Skype with her. She was so grateful to Steve for finding a way for her father to participate in their wedding. She was still amazed at what he had planned in the few short hours that he had been gone from the hospital. The last time he had surprised her like this had been Christmas a few years back when he had shown up in his tux to take her to dinner at one of her favourite restaurants.

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything." Patrick reassured her.

"Let's do it." Catherine told the Chaplain as she linked her arm through Steve's so she could lean against him for support.

Captain Anders opened the bible he held in his hand as he began the ceremony, reading the words. "God of wonder and of joy: Grace comes from you, and you are alone are the source of life and love. Send your holy spirit, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, that we may worship you now with thankful hearts and serve you always with willing minds; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

"We come together today in the presence of God to witness the marriage of Catherine Rollins and Steven McGarrett, to pray for God's blessing on them, to share their joy and to celebrate their love." He said as he took a moment to glance around the room at each of the guest's. "Who giveth this woman?" He asked.

"I do." Patrick replied over the open Skype connection.

Acknowledging the father of the bride's words he continued with his service. "Marriage is a gift of God in creation through which husband and wife may know the grace of God. It is given that as man and woman grow together in love and trust, they shall be united with one another in heart, body and mind, as Christ is united with his bride, the Church.

The gift of marriage brings husband and wife together in the delight and tenderness of sexual union and joyful commitment to the end of their lives. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children are [born and] nurtured and in which each member of the family, in good times and in bad, may find strength, companionship and comfort, and grow to maturity in love.

Marriage is a way of life made holy by God, and blessed by the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with those celebrating a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Marriage is a sign of unity and loyalty which all should uphold and honour. It enriches society and strengthens community. No one should enter into it lightly or selfishly but reverently and responsibly in the sight of almighty God.

Steven and Catherine are now to enter this way of life. They will each give their consent to the other and make solemn vows, and in token of this they will each give and receive a ring. We pray with them that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them, that they may fulfil God's purposes for the whole of their earthly life together." He finished reading as he looked upon them once more and urged them. "You need to face one another, and Steve take Catherine's right hand in yours."

"Steven and Catherine, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows, in the presence of God and his people. Steven, will you take Catherine to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?" He asked as he watched them do as he urged.

"I will." Steve readily agreed with a broad smile as he faced Catherine and carefully took her right hand in his.

"Catherine, will you take Steven to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I will." Catherine replied as she looked at Steve's face and returned his loving smile.

"As you have both stated your intentions to be married, I will now ask you to confirm your vows by repeating after me." Captain Anders first turned to Steve and smiled reassuringly. "I, Steven John McGarrett, take you, Catherine Rollins to be my wife,"

"I, Steven John McGarrett, take you, Catherine Rollins to be my wife," Steve repeated clearly.

"To have and to hold from this day forward;" Anders continued.

"To have and to hold from this day forward;" Steve said.

 **Captain Anders:** "For better or for worse,"

 **Steve:** "For better or for worse,"

 **Captain Anders:** "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health;"

 **Steve:** "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; "

 **Captain Anders:** "To love and to cherish' till death us do part;"

 **Steve:** "To love and to cherish' till death us do part;"

 **Captain Anders:** "according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow."

 **Steve:** "according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow." Steve finished, his gaze never leaving Catherine's

Captain Anders, smiled as he turned to address Catherine. "I, Catherine Rollins, take you, Steven John McGarrett to be my husband,"

"I, Catherine Rollins, take you, Steven John McGarrett to be my husband," Catherine said softly.

"To have and to hold from this day forward;" Anders continued.

"To have and to hold from this day forward;" Catherine repeated.

 **Captain Anders:** "For better or for worse,"

 **Catherine:** "For better or for worse,"

 **Captain Anders:** "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health;"

 **Catherine:** "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health;"

 **Captain Anders:** "To love and to cherish' till death us do part;"

 **Catherine:** "To love and to cherish' till death us do part;"

 **Captain Anders:** "according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow."

 **Catherine:** "according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow."

Captain Anders turned to Danny, who stepped forward and handed the wedding rings to the Chaplain as he began speaking once more.

"Heavenly Father, by your blessing let these rings be to Steven and Catherine a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, to remind them of the vow and covenant which they have made this day through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Steven, place the ring on Catherine's finger and repeat after me. 'Catherine, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you."

Steve gently lifted her left wrist so he could slide the gold band onto her ring finger. He smiled as it slipped over her knuckle to rest snuggly against the solitaire engagement ring he'd placed on her finger just a few hours before. He marvelled at the fit as he brushed his thumb across the two bands as he repeated the words. "Catherine, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you."

"Catherine." Anders prompted as he held the bible out so she could take the ring from it.

"Steven, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, all that I have I share with you." She recited as she slid the thick gold band onto his left ring finger.

Captain Anders once again spoke; "In the presence of God, Steven and Catherine have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife."

Catherine stared into Steve's face as he took a step closer to where she was still sat on the edge of the bed. He cupped her cheek gently as he leaned in to place a gentle kiss against her lips, his other arm going around her waist. Catherine slid her hand along his uniform covered arm to slip her hand behind his neck when it looked like he would pull back from the kiss.

When they finally pulled back from the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers as he playfully bumped his nose against hers. "I love you." He whispered, ignoring the sounds of cheers and clapping coming from his friends and family.

"I love you too." She promised as she smiled into his face.

...


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated recently. Real life has got in the way in an extremely big way, my husband and I have gone our separate ways. On the 28** **th** **of December my husband asked me to choose between him and our newly adopted little boy. Needless to say, the moron has now packed his belongings and left for good. This was completely out of the blue as our marriage was very stable up to this point.**

 **My little boy is struggling with attachment issues at the minute, he will barely allow me out of his sight for long. A trip out with the girls for a meal and a catch up resulted in a major crying jag for my mum, and a quick return home for me and a sleepless night on my mum's sofa while my little boy curled up and slept on the floor.**

 **I do intend to finish the story and I am trying to catch a few minutes here and there to work on it, but I'm simply not feeling very romantic at the moment. I've decided to post what I have managed to do so far, just to give you all something. I will get to the actual wedding night for Steve and Catherine as soon as I can.**

 **Hope you enjoy,**

 **Wendy.**

McGarrett's Residence.

Steve pulled of the highway and onto his street, bringing the truck to a stop in his driveway. After putting the truck into park, he switched off the engine, turning to face Catherine in the passenger seat. "You wait there while I open up and drop your bags inside." He urged her as he placed his hand on the door handle and pushed the door open.

"I'm going nowhere, because my husband forgot to bring my shoes." She reminded him in a sarcastic tone.

"Your Doctor said you needed to rest and stay of your feet as much as possible." He reminded her as he turned back to look at her and grinned. "Say it again?" He urged her softly as he leaned over so his face was close to hers.

"I'm going nowhere?" She asked in a teasing tone, her eyes twinkling.

"No." He denied with a shake of his head. "The other bit." He insisted.

"Husband?" She asked softly as she waited for him to close the gap.

"Yeah." He agreed as he leaned in to kiss her lips.

Catherine sighed against his lips as he gently held her bruised cheek in his hand as he deepened the kiss, his other hand resting on her hip. She slipped her good arm around him, her hand smoothing across his back and shoulders as she slipped her hand into his hair as he left her mouth and kissed a gentle path along her jaw. She smiled, moaning softly as she felt him nudge aside the strap of her sun dress as he kissed his way along her neck and shoulder.

"Steve," She moaned as she felt his grin against her skin. "We're outside." She reminded him as she felt him pulling the fabric up her leg so his hand could slip beneath her skirt.

"Yeah, let's take this inside." He suggested as he kissed his way back up her neck, whispering huskily in her ear. "I want my wife naked in our bed the first time I make love to her."

"Ooh… Steve." She breathed out at his words.

He grinned at her as he dropped a quick kiss on her lips and extracted himself from their embrace before climbing out of the truck and softly closing the door. He hurried around the front of the Silverado and quickly pulled open the passenger side for Catherine. Carefully slipping her broken arm around his neck she snuggled her face into the crook of his neck as he gently lifted her from the seat. Using his hip, he pushed the door closed and engaged the locks. He paused under the archway to kiss her lips before he made his way up the path to the front door of their beach house.

"I've been looking forward to carrying you into our home." He confessed, as he looked into her face.

"I like this." She giggled as she brushed her lips against his once more.

With some fiddling he was able to find the right key and open the front door so he could carry Catherine inside. He placed her gently on the couch so he could lock up and reset the alarm, before swooping her up into his arms once again and heading up the stairs to the bedroom. Pushing open the door to their room, Steve stopped as he took in the scene in front of him.

Catherine turned her head to see why he had stopped. She gasped as she saw the romantic scene set out in front of her. Rose petals had been scattered across the bed, a red rose had been taken from the vase of roses on her dresser and laid out on her pillow. A bottle of Champagne sat chilling in an ice bucket, two flutes sitting beside it on her bedside table. "Ooh, Steve." She said on a whisper, touched by the romantic gesture.

"I didn't do this." He told her as he gently lowered her to the bed, before turning and scanning the room. He wasn't concerned about this intruder entering his bedroom, he doubted that a criminal would have done anything like this. Steve suspected his partner probably had a hand in this. Spotting a package sitting on his dresser along with several envelopes he knew had not been there earlier, he crossed the room to inspect them.

"Whatcha got, Commander?" Catherine purred as she saw him lift the envelopes and parcel from the dresser.

"They're of the team." He shared as he spotted the handwriting on each of the envelopes. He returned to her side, passing her the items. "Why don't you open them?" He suggested.

Catherine shook her head as she divided the pile of envelopes between them. "Together." She insisted as she opened the first one. "It's from Danny and Grace." She told him as she showed him the Wedding card and read the message inside it before handing him the envelope she had found inside it.

Pulling his pen knife from his pocket he slit the envelope and pulled out the sheets of paper that was inside. He scanned through the letter with a grin on his face as he read it to himself before reading it out load for Catherine.

 **"** **Mr and Mrs McGarrett/ Lt Cmdr. and Lt McGarrett/ Husband and Wife/ Steve and Catherine McGarrett!**

 **I know you've got a shit eating grin on your face right now, buddy. These are the titles you've become, but to me you will always be 'Rambo and the Ramboette.' I know I gave you some grief over certain things, but I am so happy for you right now. The two of you we're always meant to be each other's endgame. I just wanted to wish you both congratulations once again, and tell you it's about bloody time you two did this.**

 **We all took a leaf out of your book and planned your surprise belated wedding night. There's Champagne chilling in the bucket and Renee has prepared Lunch, it's sitting in the fridge when you want it. We didn't think Cath would be up to going out, so that said we ordered you take out it's being delivered at 6pm. Please make sure your wearing pants, Steven.**

 **The package is from Kono and Adam. She said to tell you Adam did not see the contents, whatever that means! The next sheet of paper is a gift from all of us. I've also spoken to the Governor, he's given you a weeks' vacation so enjoy.**

 **Love, Danny and the rest of your Ohana."**

"There's a hotel reservation in our name." He told her as he handed the letter to her before he pulled the bottle of Champagne from the bucket and eased the cork out.

"I'm curious about Kono and Adam's gift." She said as she grabbed the two flutes and held them while he poured them both a glass.

"Open it." He urged, setting the bottle back in the bucket and taking the glasses from her. He watched as she tore the pretty paper from the package and eagerly lifted the lid on the box. "What is it?" He asked her.

Catherine giggled when she saw the contents. Putting the lid back on the box, she moved over to the other side of the bed and twisted around to slip her feet over the side. "Better if I show you." She purred as she trotted into the bathroom with the box clutched to her chest.

"What, Catherine?" He growled as he watched her slip into the bathroom and close the door behind her.

…..

Catherine grinned as she pulled out the contents of the box and laid them on the vanity before stripping out of her clothes. She pulled on the panties and dress, adjusting the ties on the halter neck before slipping her legs in to the holdup stockings. She twirled around in front of the mirror, watching at the way the short dress brushed across her thighs.

Picking her brush up from the vanity she quickly brushed it backwards into a ponytail before securing it in a loose bun with the clip she picked up from the counter. Grabbing the hat from the counter she placed it on her head, adjusting it with years of practice just before she left the bathroom.

Steve was reclining on the bed as she stepped back into the room, giving him a flirtatious smile as she sent him a sloppy salute. He'd pulled the covers from the bed, the comforter folded neatly at the bottom of the bed.

"Reporting for duty, Sir." She purred as she approached the bed.

"Turn around." Steve ordered with a grin, watching as she complied with his wishes. "Remind me to thank, Kono." He groaned as he watched her bend over, the action causing the skirt to ride up even further to reveal the white lace panties.

"You like it?" Catherine asked in a teasing voice as she straightened up and moved towards him on the bed.

"Ooh yeah, I like." He agreed, watching as she placed one knee on the bed beside him. He placed his hand on her hip encouraging her to swing her leg over his hip. He grinned as his hands went to her waist before traveling up her body to brush across her breasts. "I like it a lot."

"I can tell." Catherine said as she ground her core against his hardness.

"I like what's inside it even more." He replied with a growl as he sat up, wrapping his arms around her as he gently rolled her beneath him. Keeping his weight from her upper body, ever mindful of her bruised and broken ribs as he took her mouth in a searing kiss.

"Steve!" She moaned into his mouth as she felt his hand slipping under the hem of her skirt to palm her hip.

Tearing his mouth from hers he kissed his way along her jaw, placing a kiss against each bruise and mark that marred her face. "I love you." He told her as he pulled back to stare into her flushed face.

"I love you, too." She promised as she slipped a hand behind his head to encourage him to lower his face to hers.

…..


	18. Chapter 18

**Finally got this chapter finished. Hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Thank you to everyone for all their kind words. I've got a great circle of family and friends who are there for me, I'm keeping strong. I have my little man, that's the most important thing to me right now.**

 **Wendy x**

Catherine felt like her body was on fire as Steve kissed his way down her neck, one hand busy running across her body as he braced his weight on his other arm. He cupped her breast, his thumb brushing across her nipple through the fabric of the dress. She grinned as she felt him trace the little anchor that was embroidered into the material of the dress.

"Want me to take it off?" Catherine asked him as she scratched her right hand across his back.

"Not yet." He hissed against her cleavage as he felt her nails rake across his flesh. "I think this might be my new favourite fantasy." He confessed as he ran his hand down her side and slipped it beneath her skirt as he palmed her bottom.

Catherine smiled when she heard him groan as his hands encountered the delicate lace of the panties that she was wearing. She waited patiently for his hand to trace along the panties, his shudder as his fingers encountered her damp folds making her grin.

"Seriously?" He asked with a grin as he pushed himself up to sit between her legs. "Those are definitely not regulation, Lieutenant." He teased as he watched his fingers slip through the opening of her crotch less panties to slip between her folds.

"Want me to remove them, Commander." She purred.

"Not a chance." He replied with a shake of his head as he leaned forward to kiss her lips as he slipped one finger inside her snug channel to test her readiness. "You're so wet for me." He growled as she moaned in pleasure.

Catherine gasped trying to kiss him as he slid a second finger into her body as his thumb brushed across her clitoris. She was so aroused; thrashing beneath him as he sat back on his heels watching his hand between her thighs as she moved her hips in a rhythm to match his penetrating fingers. He eased a third finger into her, stretching her more as he leaned down to kiss her lips.

"Steve." She moaned out huskily. "Need you." She gasped against his lips as her hand grasped at his shoulder, her nails digging into his skin. She felt his smirk against her skin as he kissed along her jaw and down the column of her neck as his free hand went to the nape of her neck to release the ties on her halter. Catherine moaned her disappointment as he removed his fingers from her body, both his hands going to her breasts as he palmed her mounds through the fabric before pulling the stretchy material down and uncovering her breasts.

Steve grinned as he heard her moan, the sound music to his ears as he covered her breast with his mouth, his tongue flicking at her nipple. She arched her back thrusting more of her breast into his mouth as his hand came up to pinch her other nipple. He was painfully hard as he rubbed his erection against her, his member slipping threw her damp folds to rub against her clitoris.

"Oh, God." She cried out as she raised her hips in an attempt to get him to enter her.

He pulled away from her breast as he brought his hands to her hips, lifting her as he angled her body and entered her slick channel. He groaned himself at the sensation as her tight heat enveloped his hardness. Steve stilled as he took the time to look at Catherine, her body splayed out on the bed before him. Her hair was dishevelled where tendrils of hair had escaped the clip as she'd thrashed on the bed beneath him, the sailor hat although still on her head was tilted at an angle. Catherine's face was flushed, her eyes closed and her mouth open as she panted and moaned. He leaned down to kiss her lips, moaning himself when her stocking clad legs wrapped around his waist as she tried to get him to move.

"I love you." She murmured against his lips, opening her eyes to look at him as he ended the gentle kiss.

His heart swelled at her softly spoken words, words he no longer had a problem repeating. "I love you too." He replied gazing down into her face as he tenderly brushed another kiss across her lips before pushing himself upright again so he could continue his open appraisal of her body.

He smiled at her before his eyes once more began roving over her body. The top of the dress was bunched under her naked breasts. Reaching out a fingertip he traced a path across the soft skin of her breasts, his finger circling each nipple before trailing lower to where the skirt had been pushed upwards around her waist revealing the scrap of white lace. He groaned at the sight before him as he began to move, watching himself pushing into her body.

"Steve." Catherine gasped out as she reached out a shaking hand towards him.

He grasped her hand, his fingers linking through hers as he leaned down bracing his hand on the bed as he pinned her hand to the mattress beside her head. He took her lips in a deep kiss as he continued to move within her body, her legs tightening around his waist as she moved with him.

"Oh, God." She groaned as he tore his mouth from hers and kissed his way along her jaw to nibble at her ear as he panted and moaned his pleasure, the sounds turning her on even more. "Don't stop." She pleaded breathlessly.

Steve grinned into the crook of her neck as he listened to her words. He was so close to his release, wanting nothing more than to spill himself inside her heat. He forced himself to wait for the catch in her voice before he stopped fighting his body and let go. "Come for me, Cath." He growled.

"Steveee." She shouted out as she came, her inner muscles tightening around Steve's length as he climaxed with her.

Dropping a quick kiss on her lips he withdrew from her body before collapsing on the bed beside her as he attempted to draw air into his lungs. Turning his head to the side to look at Catherine who was unmoving on the bed beside him as she attempted to get air into her lungs. He grinned as he took in her flushed face and her heaving chest, before he noticed the sheen of tears in her eyes.

"Catherine?" He asked worriedly as he rolled to his side to get a better look at her.

"I'm fine Steve." She sniffed as she gingerly lifted her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"You're crying Catherine." He stated as he reached out a hand to stroke her face. "Tell me what's wrong, please?"

"I promise you it's nothing Steve." She said as she rolled onto her side to look at him leaning forwards to kiss him. "Help me get this off."

"It's not nothing if your crying, Cath." He insisted as he pushed himself up and helped her to sit up while he unzipped the back of the dress and eased it from her body, lifting it gently over her head. "Are you in pain?" He asked.

She nodded her head. "A little." She admitted with a small smile. "My meds are due."

"Why didn't you say something?" He growled as he got of the bed and quickly began pulling on his pants without his shorts. "I'll go and get your meds, you wait right here." He told her as he bent down and kissed her forehead before leaving their bedroom.

Catherine watched as he headed out of the bedroom door before she sank back down into the pillows and tried to find a comfortable position for her battered body. Her right wrist was throbbing from where Steve had held her hand to the mattress and her ribs had made themselves known when they had begun their love making. Steve's kisses and touches had helped her forget the pain, but know that they were spent the pain had returned with a vengeance. Barely a minute later Steve returned to the bedroom carrying the small duffle with her hospital things and a bottle of water. Catherine watched as he placed the duffle on her dresser and unzipped it to pull out her meds.

"Here." He said as he uncapped the bottle of pain pills and passed her the bottle along with the water.

"Thanks." Catherine thanked him as she took the items and patted the bed beside her.

Steve grinned at her as he unfastened his pants and pulled them off before lifting the covers and pulling them to her waist before he slipped into the bed beside her. Catherine passed the bottle back to him, watching as he finished it before placing the empty bottle on his bedside drawers as she cuddled up to him. She sighed in contentment as his arm instinctly wrapped around her shoulder, his fingers idly stroking skin as she drifted off to sleep safe in his arms. He continued to watch her as she slipped into a deep sleep, only then allowing himself to drift off himself.

….

Catherine woke from her nap to a very aroused Steve spooned behind her, his hand resting on her stomach as he traced her shoulder and neck with little kisses and licks. He sucked on her ear lobe, nipping it gently with his teeth. "Rise and shine, Mrs McGarrett." He whispered huskily in her ear as he rubbed his erection more urgently against her bottom.

"Seems someone is already up." She said in a teasing tone as she turned in his embrace to kiss him on the lips. She slipped her hand between their bodies as she palmed his erection, giving him a gentle squeeze as he moaned his pleasure into her mouth. She slipped her arms around him holding him close as Steve deepened the kiss. He rolled to his back pulling Catherine on top of him as he slowly and tenderly made love to her.

Catherine moaned in pleasure as he lifted her hips and repositioned her above his erection as he slowly entered her body, urging her to sink down on him till they were joined completely. He allowed her to set the pace, watching her as she slowly and leisurely moved above him. His hands trailed along her body, cupping her breasts as he pinched her hardened nipples between his thumb and fingers as she rocked above him.

His eyes stayed locked on her face as he watched the way she had her head flung back, her mouth slightly parted as she panted and moaned from the sensation of their love making. He ignored the way her cast scratched at his skin from where her hands rested on his thighs as she arched her back. Trailing his hands down her body, ever mindful of her healing injuries he slipped his fingers between her legs to rub at the bundle of nerves.

Catherine moaned at the sensation of his fingers on her clit, the added stimulation taking her over the edge. "Oh, God." She gasped out, slumping forward to brace her hands on his chest as she came.

Steve gripped her hips holding her steady as he felt Catherine's body squeeze his as she climaxed taking him with her as he spilled himself inside her. He pulled her down on top of him as he gently rolled her to her side as he kissed her lips. He pulled away to rain tiny kisses down her throat and back up her neck to her ear. "I love waking up with you." He confessed as he nibbled at her ear.

"I happen to like waking up with you, too." Catherine replied with a smile as she brushed her lips against his.

"Hungry?" He asked as stroked her damp hair back from her flushed face.

"Starving." She admitted as she snuggled into his embrace.

"You wait here and I'll go and see what I can rustle up." He suggested as he kissed her once more before climbing out of the bed.

"Steve?" She called after his retreating back, just before he left the room. She waited for him to turn back to her. "Can you bring a freezer bag and tape up, I'd like to take a shower."

"Yeah, you need anything else?" He asked with a smile as he watched her pull the sheet over her naked body.

"Nope, I've got everything else I need right here." She told him with a loving smile as she took in the sight of his naked body.

…..


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you once again to everyone who took the time to review, I really do appreciate the feedback. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story.**

 **Steve and Catherine are still making the most of their honeymoon in this chapter. They will be getting a surprise visitor. I don't have plans to take this character anywhere within the story, he's merely just there as a messenger at this point.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Wendy x**

McGarrett's residence.

After a leisurely afternoon spent love making and dozing they had both showered before pulling on shorts and t-shirts and making their way downstairs to set the table for dinner. Catherine was busy pulling cutlery out of the drawer as Steve pulled out the plates and glasses from the cupboard, placing them on the counter beside her. Catherine felt him move to stand behind her, placing both his hands on the counter as he effectively imprisoned her in his arms.

Steve lowered his face to the back of her neck and kissed the blue star tattoo at her nape, grinning against her skin as he felt the small shudder go through her body. He felt her push back against him as he slipped his hands around her waist holding her to him as he kissed her neck. Her right hand slipped into his hair to hold his head to her neck as she tilted her own to give him better access. Slipping his hands under the hem of the vest top she was wearing he caressed the soft skin of her stomach before sliding his hands up her body to cup her breasts.

"Your insatiable." Catherine chastised with a small chuckle before moaning as he plucked at her nipples.

"That's because I have such a sexy wife." He told her huskily as he rubbed himself against her bottom. "Bedroom?" He asked as he nipped her ear.

"Kitchen counter." She counteracted with a grin as she heard the growl in her ear at the same time she felt him twitch against her bottom.

"Jesus Cath." He growled out, closing his eyes as he attempted to bring his body back under control. He took a step back as he felt her twisting around in his arms.

"You like that, huh?" She teased as she slipped her arms around his neck as she went up on her toes to kiss him, moaning into his mouth when he lifted her to sit on the counter. She quickly pulled her vest off tossing it over her shoulder to land on the other side of the kitchen as Steve unfastened her shorts and eased them off her legs, leaving her in just a pair of lacey panties.

Steve's hand slipped into Catherine's hair holding her steady as he fastened his mouth to hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth to dual with hers. Pulling his mouth from hers to drag much needed air into his lungs he kissed and nipped his way down her neck as he ran his hand up and down one of her legs. His tongue flicked across one of her hardened nipples as she gasped and moaned, her hands holding him to her as he closed his lips around the tender bud and sucked.

"Oh god, don't stop." Catherine pleaded not wanting the sensation to end. Wrapping her legs around his waist she reclined back on the counter as his head followed her down, his mouth still latched onto her nipple as he gently teased at it.

Switching breasts, he treated her other nipple to the same treatment as his hand moved to cup the abandoned breast, his finger and thumb pinching the sensitive peak as she moaned beneath him as her hands slid into his hair holding him to her. He released her nipple with a pop as he began trailing kisses down her breast bone and stomach, his tongue dipping briefly into her belly button as his hands went to her panties to remove them.

Catherine lifted her hips for him as he slid the scrap of lace from her body letting it drop to the floor as he lifted each of her legs and held her open as his mouth descended on her slick folds. She watched as his dark head dipped between her thighs, her stomach muscles clenching in anticipation of his touch. She felt his hot breath blow across her folds just before she felt his touch.

"Steve." She panted, at the first touch of his tongue on her nether lips. "Need you." She moaned.

He grinned as he continued what he was doing with her body, her guttural moan fuelling his own arousal. He moaned in appreciation as he tasted her arousal as he licked through her folds. He flicked his tongue across her clit and was rewarded with her bucking her hips towards his mouth.

"Oh, God." She moaned again at his touch.

He clamped his lips around her clit, sucking on the bundle of nerves before releasing it and licking threw her folds again. He pushed his tongue inside her and was rewarded by a moan as she thrust her hips into his face, begging for more. He continued to lick and suck at her, lapping her juices from her as she writhed beneath him. He heard the catch in her voice as she groaned and came across his tongue.

He watched as she gasped for breath; her skin coated in a fine sheen of sweat, flushed with arousal. He kissed a path back up her body, his tongue flicking over each nipple before trailing his kisses back up her neck. He felt one of Catherine's hands tugging at his hair as she attempted to get him to kiss her lips. He cupped her cheek as his mouth descended on hers.

Catherine moaned as his mouth covered hers, her hands gripping at his t-shirt as she tried to pull it up his body. "Strip." She ordered breathlessly against his mouth, as she continued to tug at his t-shirt in an attempt to pull it over his head.

"Yes ma'am." He agreed with a smirk as he raised himself from her body and pulled the t-shirt over his head tossing it over his shoulder as he pushed his shorts down and off. He grabbed her hand as she made a grab for his erection, placing a kiss in the centre of her palm before urging her to grab at his waist as he touched her once more.

She felt his fingers slip through her folds to tease at her entrance just before she felt the blunt head of his penis pushing inside her. Lifting her legs, she wrapped them around his waist as he slowly worked himself all the way inside her snug channel. His first few thrusts were slow, letting them both relish the feeling of every inch of him dipping in and stretching her, making Catherine whimper and moan as she felt him throbbing inside her.

Her fingers combed through his hair, her nails scraping at his scalp before moving to grip his shoulders as he increased the pace. His thrusts becoming more frantic, his pelvis grazing her clit.

Steve could feel the stinging of Cath's finger nail's digging into his back, as she curved her body into his. He felt her muscles tightening around him, her loud moans filling the air as her body convulsed. He buried his face against her neck, pushing deeper, growling as he emptied himself inside her.

He could feel Cath's breath fanning across his shoulder as she panted, attempting to catch her breath. "You okay?" He asked as he nibbled his way along her jaw before lifting himself from her so he could look into her flushed face.

"Oh yes." She agreed breathlessly as she looked at him through heavily lidded eyes. He had a smirk on his face showing how pleased he was with himself, but she was too satisfied to care. She groaned as she unwrapped her legs from his waist and lowered them as he helped her to sit up on the counter.

He leaned in kissing her lips gently as he circled her waist and lifted her from the counter, her arms circling his neck as she kissed him back. Their kisses tender and loving, gone was the passion of their earlier desire. He brushed her hair from her face as he kissed her one last time before pulling away from her at the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

"Looks like dinner is here." He stated as he quickly pulled on his shorts and pulled the t-shirt over his head as he left the kitchen.

"Caught with your pants down, Commander." She called after him, admiring the way his shorts rode low on his hips.

"Not the only one." He retorted as he reached the door and unlocked it, surprised when it wasn't the delivery person with their food order. "Joe!" Steve acknowledged in surprise.

"Can I come in?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, sure." Steve agreed as he took a step back, quickly glancing over his shoulder to see if Catherine was in the room. "Come in."

"Thanks." Joe said as she stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "How about a beer?" He suggested as he sat down.

"Sure, I'll go grab us a couple." He told him as he headed into the kitchen to find that Catherine had pulled her clothes back.

"Hey, where's the food?" She asked as she noticed he wasn't carrying anything.

"It wasn't the delivery guy. Joe's dropped in for a visit." He informed Catherine.

"Did he say why?" Catherine asked in surprise as she peered around the edge of the kitchen doorway, looking in to the living room where joe was sat on the couch nearest the door.

"No." Steve said as he opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers out of the box at the back before closing the door. Pulling her into his side he kissed her cheek as he steered her through the doorway so they could find out what Joe was up to.

"Mahalo." Joe thanked as he took the bottle Steve passed him. "I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here?"

"The thought did cross my mind, Joe." Steve agreed as he sat on the arm of the lazy boy that Catherine had seated herself in. "Last I heard you were back living on the mainland."

"You heard right, son." Joe said as he took a drink. "I had a visit from your mother."

"Excuse me?" Steve asked, surprised with Joe's words.

"She asked me to come out and see you both. Doris wanted me to offer the both of you her congratulations on your marriage." Joe admitted as he put his beer on the table and picked up an envelope from the seat beside him, passing it to Steve. "She asked me to give you this."

"How does she know about the marriage?" Steve wanted to know as he took the envelope from Joe.

"She didn't say, and frankly I didn't ask. Doris was worried if she came in person it would cause more problems for the two of you, especially after what happened with Rudenko." Joe continued.

Steve shook his head as he gave Joe a rueful smile. "She's been keeping tabs on us, why doesn't that surprise me."

"She was concerned about Catherine." Joe told them as he turned to look at Catherine, silently asking the question.

Catherine put a comforting hand on Steve's leg as she answered. "I'll be fine, nothing that a little rest won't cure."

"Cath's got broken ribs and a broken wrist, other than that it's just bruising. We got her before…" He trailed of swallowing, he didn't want to think about what could have happened if they had been any later. The sight of Rudenko stood over Catherine with those wires attached to the battery, still brought him out in a cold sweat.

He still hadn't spoken to Lynn yet about her involvement even though the other woman had been demanding his presence at Halawa correctional facility where she was currently being detained while she waited for a trial date to be set. He wanted answers from her, and he knew he'd only get them by speaking to her in person. She was refusing to speak to anyone, insisting she would only talk with him. Now Catherine was home and healing he felt easier leaving her for a few hours while he made the 30-minute drive to the prison.

Anna Petrovitch was still in the ICU at Tripler after contracting an infection post-surgery. She was being guarded around the clock and would be questioned by Five-0 as soon as she was conscious enough to answer the questions.

Dimitri Rudenko had been transported to Halawa with a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm, and several broken ribs and fingers after Steve had questioned him at the Palace. He hadn't divulged anything about their mission, but had indicated that he was merely following orders from Anna Petrovitch. Steve flexed his knuckles as he thought back to his meeting with Rudenko, inwardly smiling at the satisfaction he'd felt on inflicting the injuries.

 _Steve heard the crunch from broken bones as he held Rudenko's hand down on the table in front of him and broke each of his fingers. He released the man's hand, repeating his question and still getting no answer from the prisoner. Taking hold of Rudenko's arm he began twisting his arm up his back, he asked the question again and didn't receive an answer. Steve continued to force Rudenko's arm behind his back till he heard the tell-tale pop as it had dislocated._

"That's good to know." Joe acknowledged as he looked more closely at the bruises that covered Catherine's torso.

Catherine resisted the urge to squirm under Joe's scrutiny as she glanced across at Steve as he opened the envelope. She placed her hand on his thigh, silently offering him her support as he pulled out the contents. He smiled as he pulled the card out and passed it to Catherine to read as he opened a letter addressed to him in his mother's handwriting.

 ** _Dear Steven,_**

 ** _Firstly, congratulations on your marriage to Catherine. This news makes me extremely happy to hear as I truly believe you were meant to be together. Catherine is so much more than just your wife to me, she is my second daughter. I hope that the two of you will always find happiness together, and maybe give me a grandchild to spoil when I am able._**

 ** _Don't think that I think any less of Joan, I do see her as my granddaughter. I was able to make arrangements with your Aunt Deb before her passing, a trust fund has been set up in Joan's name. Mary knows nothing of my involvement in the fund, and I would prefer that it remains that way. I know I hurt Mary badly by abandoning my family once more, and only wish to spare her more hurt. I'm asking that you keep my secret from your sister_**

 ** _Catherine mentioned how you were 'moving on' with another woman when Yao and I gave her a lift, it saddened me to here that piece of news. I loved your father, and not a day went by that I didn't miss him. I never tried, nor wanted to move on from the love I had for my husband. I know from conversation's I've had with Joe over the years, your father never moved on with any other woman. You are you father's son, Steve. You gave your heart to Catherine, no other woman would ever be able to fill that void in your heart, no matter how hard you tried._**

 ** _Please tell Catherine I'm so sorry that she was hurt because of me, I had no idea the Russian's had anyone after me. I have an inclination of what they are after, but I believe it best for all concerned if you are kept in the dark on the subject. Now that I am aware of the threat I will take precautions and deal with it myself._**

 ** _I still have every intention of returning home to my family, and I was in the process of putting some plans into action when news of Catherine's abduction came to me. I know that now isn't the time to return, I would only endanger you all with my presence. Please know that I am thinking about you and Mary and your wonderful families, I love you dearly._**

 ** _All my love, Mom._**

"Steve?" Catherine asked as she saw him fold the sheets of paper over as he swiped a hand across his face.

"I'm fine." Steve reassured her with a small smile as he passed over the letter for her to read before turning back to Joe. "Thanks, Joe."

"No need to thank me, son." He told him just as a knock came at the door.

"I'll get it." Catherine said, pushing herself out of the chair.

"Stay where are, Cath." Steve insisted as he gently pushed her back onto the chair as he made his way to the door.

"You staying for dinner?" Steve asked after closing the door with the bag's of food in his hands.

"No, I'm meeting Wade at that little Tiki bar he likes." Joe said as he finished his beer and placed the empty bottle back on the table. "Thanks for the beer." He said as he pushed to his feet and headed towards the door.

"It was good to see you again, Joe." Catherine said as she watched him place his hand on the door handle.

"You know I've not got a good track record with marriage, but I'm really happy for you both. I know you two will last. Your dad would have been so happy to see you settling down, Steve. Congratulations, son." Joe told him sincerely as slapped Steve on the back before he opened the door and let himself out.

"You ready to eat?" Catherine asked as she took the bags from Steve and headed into the dining room.

"Yeah, I'll get everything from the kitchen." He called after her as he watched the sway of her hips as she left the room. He waited till she disappeared from sight before he headed into the kitchen and grabbed the plates and cutlery that they had pulled out earlier.

….


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review, as always, they are very much appreciated.**

 **Steve's visiting Lynn in this chapter, if he seems a little out of character it is intentional; He'll be rude, nasty and a little crude to her. Steve is still smarting over being used by Lynn, (even though he has Catherine) I imagine he'd be pretty pissed off in this situation.**

 **In a little twist, I couldn't help but redeem Lynn a little** , **she's still one of the bad guys. I just couldn't help but transfer some of her anger at finding the ring last year and seeing how jealous and desperate she looked from 707 to her actually having feelings for Steve.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Halawa Correctional Facility; women's wing.

After signing the visitor log he was shown into the visiting room to wait for Lynn to be brought from her cell. The room was sparsely furnished with a table and two chairs in the centre which Steve ignored in favour of leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest as he waited. He didn't wait long for the door to open and the prisoner to be brought in. Lynn was flanked by two of the prison guards as they escorted her into the room and pushed her down into one of the chairs.

"Hello, Steve. I'm so glad you've finally come to see me, I've missed you." Lynn mocked as she sat with her cuffed hands resting on the table. "Did you miss me?"

"Who sent you?" Steve asked once the guards had left, ignoring Lynn's words.

"What, no hello?" Lynn mocked as she fluttered her eye lashes at him. "Maybe a quickie for old time sake?"

"Who sent you?" He asked once again, clearly enunciating each word.

"Maybe I just wanted to hurt your little bitch." Lynn taunted.

Steve ignored her words as he pushed off from the wall and walked around behind her. Leaning over her shoulder he spoke directly into her ear. "Just so you know, Catherine broke your encryption code on the memory stick. The CIA were so grateful for the information on there, a full list of all Russian agents working in the US, that's pure gold." He grinned as he saw her body tense at the information.

"You're lying." Lynn denied, not believing that the encryption code had been broken. Steve had merely guessed what was on the memory stick, no way had they seen the files detailing the list of contact details for their agents.

"Most of them are being picked up as we speak." Steve informed her as he stood upright and moved to stand in front of her once again. "Who sent you?" He asked once again as he grabbed the vacant chair and spun it around so he could straddle it.

"I won't tell you anything." Lynn insisted with a smile as she leaned across the table.

Steve leant forward himself so his face was close to hers as he spoke. "You know what, Lynn? I'd never slept with a hooker before you." He grinned as he watched the anger build in her face, his words cutting deep.

"How dare you." She hissed at his insult.

"Oh, come on Lynn. What else would you call it when you prostitute yourself out for your country?" He asked as he folded his arms across the back of the chair and watched her. "You were ordered to have sex with me." He stated.

"I was not ordered to sleep with you." She insisted with a snarl.

"You were fucking good." Steve told her with a smirk ignoring her words. He hoped that by antagonising her she would inadvertently tell him why they wanted his mother. "Although your striptease routine needs a little work."

"I was ordered to get close, not sleep with you." She growled in frustration. "I wanted to sleep with you for myself." She declared as she swallowed back the tears that threatened to flow. She would not allow him to see how much his cruel words hurt. Although he had been an assignment for her, she had enjoyed spending time with him. He had been charming and funny to be around, and she had slowly started to fall in love with him.

Finding the ring in his drawer the first time she had slept over had hurt more than it should considering he was supposed to be nothing more than a target to her. That had been the moment she had realised her feelings were deeper than they should have been for him. She had not mentioned anything to her comrades fearing they would pull her from the mission.

"If you say so." Steve said in a tone that indicated he didn't believe her. "You still dropped your panties and climbed in bed with me for information."

"No. I wanted you for myself, it didn't take long for me to fall for you, Steve." She confessed as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "When your precious Catherine turned up to tell you that your mother was in trouble, I hated her because I could see how you looked at her. I wanted you for myself." She spat at him.

Steve shook his head as he chuckled at her words. "If that's true you would have tried to come clean. You have lied to me for over a year, Lynn." He growled out. "So where did Ellie fit in with your plans?" Steve asked, wanting to know if Ellie was also somehow involved with the plan.

"She was a means to you, I befriended her because we had intel she was your girlfriend. When I discovered she was only a friend, I persuaded her to introduce us." Lynn shared with him.

Steve inwardly sighed, grateful that Ellie had only being an unknowing pawn in Lynn's scheming. When news of Lynn's background had come to light, he had been concerned about Ellie's possible involvement. She had called him several times over the past week and each time he had allowed it to go to voice mail so he wouldn't have to deal with it. He knew he needed to return her call, now that Lynn had put his mind at rest he would do just that.

"It took me months to get her to introduce us, she kept saying you wasn't looking for a girlfriend. I'd almost given up hope when she said you'd asked for my number." Lynn gloated.

"What can I say, you looked like you'd be an easy lay." Steve lied as he remembered being introduced to her. He couldn't deny that he found her attractive, but he'd known deep down that he would never have feelings for her. Spending time with her had been a fun way to spend his off-duty hours and keep his mind from thinking about Catherine as often. He'd spent many a night with Lynn beside him wishing it was Catherine, and telling himself that he was doing the right thing by moving on.

"It took weeks for you to invite me to spend the night." She complained.

"Maybe because I didn't trust you." Steve pointed out.

"You didn't want me in the house that your precious little slut had lived in." Lynn taunted with a smirk as she saw him clench his teeth in anger.

"Find anything interesting in my house?" Steve asked as he stared at her, his face a hard mask.

"You mean apart from the ring?" She queried as she once again leant forward over the table. "You keep nothing at home, just that old toolbox full of junk."

"And that there was you biggest failing." Steve told her as he shook his head. "That box is full of old cases my dad was working on, and if you'd looked and studied everything that was in the box you would have come across a name that was linked to my mother."

"I went through everything that was in the box, there was nothing about your mother." Lynn insisted, knowing she had been through everything in the box.

"It was there." He insisted as he stood up and stalked around the room to lean on the wall. "Why were you after my mother?" He asked from behind her.

…

McGarrett Residence.

Catherine looked up from the book she'd been reading as she heard the key in the front door. She smiled as Steve came inside, closing the door behind him before he crossed to the couch. She marked her page as she closed the book and placed it on the coffee table just as he leant down and brushed a kiss across her lips. She slipped her hands behind his neck as he tried to pull away from her. "Are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"Yeah." He insisted with a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I'm gonna go shower." He told her as he gave her another quick kiss and pulled away from her.

Catherine watched as he headed up the stairs and disappeared into their bedroom before she grabbed her cell phone from the coffee table and flicked through her contacts. Finding the person, she wanted to talk to, she hit dial and waited for him to pick up. It didn't take long for the call to be answered.

"Hi, Danny. I need your help with something?" Catherine told him as she kept her eyes on her bedroom door just in case Steve came back down.

 _"_ _Okay, what do you need?" Danny asked a little confused at exactly what Catherine might need help with._

"You spoke to Steve last night! Did he tell you where he was going today?" She wanted to know.

 _"_ _Err… You really should talk to Steve." Danny said as he attempted to evade Catherine questions. Steve had been adamant that Catherine not know about his trip to see Lynn._

"I'm asking you as my friend, Danny. Where did my husband go this morning?" Catherine tried once again.

 _"_ _Catherine, I can't tell you." He insisted. "I promise you it's work related, he isn't cheating." He said in defence of his friend._

Catherine chuckled down the phone. "That thought never crossed my mind. I'm not checking up on him because I think there's another woman, I'm worried about him. Something's wrong and he won't tell me, which is why I want to know where he's been." Catherine explained once again.

 _"_ _Steve didn't want you to know, Catherine." Danny said, still not budging._

"He's been to see, Lynn!" She exclaimed, concluding Steve was trying to protect her from any more emotional pain. "He has, hasn't he?"

 _"_ _You need to speak to Steve." Danny insisted._

"Danny Williams, yes or no?" She asked firmly.

 _"_ _Yes." Danny admitted knowing he wasn't about to get out of answering her. He realised now he never should have answered her call._

"Idiot." She chastised as she shook her head. "Thanks, Danny." Catherine told him as they each said their goodbye's and disconnected the call. Pushing herself to her feet she slowly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Pushing the door open she was greeted with the sight of Steve emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips as he towelled his hair dry with another.

"I wish you'd told me, Steve. I would have come with you." She said as she moved across the bedroom and slipped her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with the damp hair at his nape.

"I didn't want you having to face her, Cath." Steve defended as he dropped the towel on the bed so he could slip his hands around her hips to hold her. "She's already hurt you enough."

"She's hurt you too, Steve. You trusted her to be who she said she was, and all along she was using you to find Doris." Catherine reminded him gently. "I'm so sorry that I helped that happen by leaving you." She apologised.

"It wasn't your fault that I was taken in by her. The truth is I was using her, just not for information." He confessed as he looked at her face. "I wanted so badly to hit her."

"Maybe it's a good thing I didn't go then, I would have actually done it. I definitely owe her a couple of punches." Catherine told him with a grin, glad when he returned her smile. "Did she tell you anything about why they wanted your mother?"

"No. She claimed her orders were merely to locate my mom, she used my friendship with Ellie to get close to me. Once I'd allowed her access into the house she could go through my stuff to try and locate mom, which was a complete bust because…" Steve broke of as he looked at her.

"We have no idea where she is." Catherine finished for him as she moved her hands, sliding them down his chest as she slipped them around his back as she hugged him to her.

"Yeah." He agreed as he tightened his arms around her and placed his face into the crook of her neck as he inhaled her unique sent. "She did confess that the attack on your dad was to get you to come home, they figured you knew where mom was hiding out. I'm so sorry that your dad got hurt because of my mom."

Catherine held him too her, rubbing his back soothingly as she felt the tension drain away from him. "It's not your fault, Steve. It could have been a lot worse, they could have gone after a soft target like Mary or Joan to get your mom home." Catherine pointed out, holding him close as he sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She placed a soft featherlight kiss over his heart just as she heard his stomach rumble. She chuckled as she pulled away slightly to stand on her tip toes and brush a kiss across his lips. "I'll go sort some lunch out while you get dressed." She promised him.

"How about we go out for lunch?" He suggested as he kissed her once more.

"Mm… I could eat spicy shrimp." She said with a smile.

"Okay, Kamekona's it is." Steve agreed as he dropped another kiss on her lips before pulling away from their embrace so he could pull on clean clothes. He watched as she left the bedroom to head back downstairs.

"Steve?" Catherine said as she popped her head back around the door. "I've spoken to the hotel about the reservation, we're booked in for Monday." She announced as she blew him a kiss and left the room.

He grinned as he thought about spending a full week with Catherine in a hotel room with no interruptions from any of their friends or family. With a smile, firmly in place he dropped his towel and pulled his shorts on as he quickly dressed.

…..


	21. Chapter 21

**Catherine suffers a little bit from her ordeal in this chapter, but Steve will be there to help her through it. They are also finally getting around to their honeymoon week. (In true McRoll style, no spa days or activities that take place outside their room. I'm sure the room service menu will be well used also.)**

 **I will be getting back on track with the investigation side of things as soon as possible. My muse has currently gone for a walk, which is why it's taken a while to get this chapter finished.**

 **Thank you to everyone that took the time to leave a review, as always, very much appreciated.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

 **McGarrett's Residence**

"Umph..." Steve grabbed for the object that had impacted his jaw as he was instantly brought awake. Realising that it was Catherine that was thrashing beside him as she fought of her attacker in her sleep he calmed a little. Turning onto his side he grabbed her hand as it came towards him once more. "Cath, wake up." He called loudly to her **.**

"I don't know where he is." Catherine called out, still asleep as the tears ran down her face. "Please, don't hurt him. NO!" she screamed as she once again lashed out with her arms.

"Come on baby, you need to wake up." Steve urged her, wanting desperately to take her in his arms and hold her till her nightmare had gone. He watched as she made no sign of waking, the nightmare keeping a tight grip on her. "Lieutenant, on your feet." He ordered in his best command voice, watching as she sprang upright in the bed as she responded to his command.

"It's okay, baby, I've got you." He soothed as he pulled her shaking body back against his as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're safe now, I promise you no one is going to hurt you." He cooed down her ear as he felt her relax against his body. He brushed a kiss across her cheek as he held her close.

Catherine turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his waist as she buried her face against his chest. She made no move to wipe at the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she sobbed against him. The image of her captures still vividly flashing through her head.

Steve rubbed at her back soothingly as he pulled her back down on the bed beside him, his arms holding her securely as he whispered reassurances softly into her hair. He waited till her breathing returned to normal before he brushed her hair from her face and kissed the tears from her cheeks. She looked up at him, offering him a watery smile as he peppered her face lovingly with kisses.

"I'm sorry." She apologised to him as she tentatively lifted her hand to place it on his cheek.

"You have nothing to apologise for." Steve told her as he brushed a kiss across her forehead just as their bedroom door was flung open, making them spring apart as they each went for a weapon. It didn't take them long to realise there was no threat as they saw Elizabeth stood in the doorway holding a large skillet, as the light from the landing spilled into their moonlit room.

"I heard you scream." Elizabeth announced as she looked around the room, her eyes settling on her son-in-law who was hastily pulling the bedclothes over his lap as her daughter pulled a pillow in front of her as she sank back onto the bed. "I thought we had another intruder." She defended as she realised her mistake.

"So, what, you thought you'd make them breakfast?" Catherine asked her mother in a sarcastic tone.

"Less of your lip, young lady." Elizabeth admonished her as she lowered the skillet.

"Sorry." Catherine apologised as she clutched the pillow to her naked body.

"Catherine had a bad dream, that's all." Steve explained as he assured her, "We're both fine."

"Oh, honey. How about I go and get you a nice cup of herbal tea, help you settle back down." Her mother suggested as her eyes came to rest on Catherine in concern.

"No, Mom, I'll be fine. Why don't you go back to bed?" Catherine assured her, wanting her mom to get the message and leave Steve and herself alone.

"If you're sure, honey?" Elizabeth said as she smiled at Catherine.

"I'll be fine." Catherine said once again.

"You call me if you need anything." Elizabeth told them as she stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind her.

Catherine bit her lip as she turned to look at Steve who had a grin on his face as he tried to hold in his laughter. He grabbed the pillow from her tossing it to the floor as he pulled her into his embrace as they both began laughing at the situation. She buried her face into his chest, feeling the laughter emanating from his body as she giggled against his shoulder.

"You okay now?" He asked once they had both calmed.

"Yeah. Sorry I woke you." She said as she pulled away slightly to look at his face.

"Don't be. I've woke you up plenty of times with my nightmares." He assured her as he brushed a kiss across her forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Pulling out of his embrace she pushed herself to a sitting position as she leaned back against the headboard. "I was back in the basement with Rudenko hitting me, while Lynn was stood there taunting me. She kept telling me she was going after you next, how she was going to hurt you and make me watch." Catherine sobbed as she swiped at the tears on her face.

Steve sat up himself, pulling her into his body as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He didn't say anything, knowing she needed time to talk.

"I know it didn't happen like that, but it just felt so real." Catherine told him as she swallowed. "I couldn't let anything happen to you."

"I know." He agreed as he combed his hand through her hair. "Your Doctor suggested talking to a therapist, I think you should do it."

"No." She refused with a shake of her head.

"Cath, it will help. I sought help after my last run in with WoFat. He messed with my head so much, I didn't know what was real. He had me believing my dad was still alive, and a bunch of other shit. If it wasn't for Danny pushing me into talking to the Doctor I don't know what I would have done." He explained. "Just try it. I promise I'll be there for you every step of the way, you don't have to do it alone."

"I'll think about it." She told him, not wanting to give a definite answer on the subject.

"Alright." He agreed knowing that she wouldn't be pushed into doing something she didn't want. "Let's try and get some sleep." He suggested as he glanced at his bedside clock and realising that it was 1 in the morning.

"I'll be right back." She promised as she slid from the bed and slipped into the bathroom.

He watched as she slipped through the open doorway, not bothering with the light as she padded across the moonlit floor. He climbed from the bed himself, straightening the covers before climbing back in to wait for her as he heard the cistern flush, and the sound of running water as she washed her hands. She emerged a few minutes later, slipping under the covers that he held open for her as she moved into his embrace. Steve kissed her softly on the lips as he settled into a comfortable position on his back with Catherine plastered against his body.

"Cath?" He called softly in to the quiet room as he slipped his hand across her stomach, his fingers drawing imaginary patterns on her skin.

"Yeah?" She acknowledged as she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him.

"When will you know if you are or not?" He asked as he waved his hand over her stomach

"Pregnant?" She asked, watching as he nodded his head. "The end of the week." She assured him with a smile.

"We keep practising in the mean-time!" He suggested with a sexy grin as he wiggled his eye brows at her.

Catherine chuckled at his words. "I wouldn't have it any other way with you." She promised as she placed a kiss over his heart before lowering her head to his shoulder as she closed her eyes. She sighed in contentment as his arm came around her shoulder, holding her close as they both drifted off to sleep.

…

Turtle Bay resort.

After an hour and half drive along the Kamehameha highway, they pulled into the car park of the resort. Steve had opted to take the coastal route as he'd made the 46-mile journey to the North shore. He'd glanced across at Catherine, watching her as she'd rested her head against the headrest while she'd dozed. Although she had fallen asleep in his arms in the early hours of the morning, she had already been awake when he had woken for his swim.

He'd found her sat in one of the old battered chairs looking out across the water. She had her legs drawn up on the chair, her chin resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. She hadn't even heard him as he'd made his way through the back yard towards her, only looking up as he'd leaned on the back of the chair. She'd smiled up at him, turning him down when he asked her to join him for a swim.

Putting the truck in to park, he un-clipped his seat belt before turning to Catherine to wake her. Her face was turned towards him as she rested her head against the back of the seat as she slept. He took the opportunity to look at her, taking in the mottled bruises that still marred her skin. Her eye although still badly bruised had at least lost the swelling. He had no idea how long he sat there watching her, wanting nothing more than to reach out and touch her, but reluctant to wake her from her nap.

"Your staring." Catherine chided as she stirred, her eyes still closed.

"I'm admiring my wife's beauty." Steve told her as he leant across the space between the two seats and kissed her gently on the lips.

Catherine snorted at his words, her eyes fluttering open to look at his handsome face so close to hers. "You're just trying to get into my panties." She teased as she stroked a hand across his jaw.

He shook his head in denial of her words. "I've seen you covered in dirt and grime plenty of times, but you always look beautiful to me, Catherine." He took hold of her left hand, his thumb brushing across the wedding band on her finger as he asked her huskily. "Did you bring your wedding present ones?

"You'll just have to wait and see what I packed." Catherine replied as she rested her hand over the bruise that was beginning to form on his Jaw. "I really am sorry about this."

"I know." He replied as he pulled her into a hug and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You can always tell people I deserved it." He teased when he pulled back to look at her once more.

She smiled as she chuckled at his words, leaning forward to kiss him before pulling back and un-clipping the seat belt as she opened the door of the truck.

"You need a hand?" He asked as he watched her opening the door.

"I can manage." She told him with a small smile as she climbed out of the cab and closed the door to watch Steve grabbing their bags from the back of the Silverado. Walking to the front of the truck to meet him, she slipped her arm around his waist as they headed into the reception area of the hotel.

…

"Wow, this place is amazing." Catherine said as Steve opened the door to their room, allowing her to enter before him. She moved towards the balcony, sliding the door open to step outside to take in the view. "It's so beautiful."

"Yeah." Steve agreed not really looking at the vista before him. His eyes were fixed on Catherine's body as she leaned against the railing taking in the view. Moving to stand behind her he slipped his arms around her waist as he moulded his body to hers. "You know I was thinking about our wedding."

"It was perfect, Steve. I don't need us to re-do any of our wedding day again." She said knowing where his thoughts were. "My only regret is having to wait a week for my wedding night." She added playfully as she turned in his arms to kiss him.

"I just feel like I cheated you out of a proper wedding day. You got to wear a dress I pulled out of your closet and I gave you a second-hand ring." He pointed out as he brushed her hair from her face.

"You gave me a ring that it very precious to you, the sentiments behind that makes it the most valuable thing in the world to me. I loved that dress the first time I wore it for you, and out of all the dresses you could have chosen that one is the most memorable. That was the first time we actually made it to dinner." She reminded him as she brushed a kiss across his lips. "You're planning and execution was perfect for us, Steve. I wouldn't change a single thing about our wedding." Catherine reassured.

Smiling down at her he took her mouth in a searing kiss as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, Catherine wrapping her legs around his hips as he carried her back into their room and laid her down on the bed. His kisses were tender and loving as he undressed her before slowly making love to his wife.

"I made reservations for Dinner." He told her as he kissed a path down her neck.

"Room service." Catherine insisted as she entwined her fingers in his hair, holding her to him.

"You sure?" He asked as he pulled away from breast to look up at her face.

"Steve!" She exclaimed in frustration at the loss of contact. "Why did you stop?"

"Dinner!" He pointed out as he shifted on the bed so his face was level with hers.

"Like we'd actually make it to dinner." She pointed out as she rolled on to her side and slipped her hand between them to cup his hardness. She watched as he closed his eyes, a large grin on his face as she gave him a gentle squeeze. "Get naked." She whispered as she brushed lips across his.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, gently rolling her to her back as he kissed her before pulling away as he hastily removed his clothes.

…..


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.**

 **Have quite a bit of spare time on my hands at the minute, so I've been watching a lot of re-runs with McRoll in them. My muse has come running back, I had a conversation between the two of them playing in my head so had to get it down. (I promise I'm not really crazy, hearing voices in my head. Although the jury is out about having a conversation with myself.)**

 **Our honeymooners are about to get interrupted with an update on the case, which will spark a conversation between Steve and Catherine.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy x**

Turtle bay resort.

Monday evening.

The sound of knocking woke him making him roll to his side to search for Catherine. He spotted her padding across the room as she headed towards the door, the shirt he'd been wearing earlier her only covering. He watched as she checked the peep hole before opening the door and signing her name on the slip the hotel employee passed her.

"I've got it." Catherine assured the young waiter when he suggested entering the room to set up the trolley. "Mahalo."

"Aloha." He replied as he let her take the trolley from him and shut the door.

"I didn't hear you get up." Steve said as he threw back the covers and climbed from the bed pulling on his shorts.

"You were fast sleep, snoring your little head of." Catherine told him as she stepped into his embrace and went up on tip toes to kiss his lips.

"Was I now." He asked against her lips as he slipped his hands underneath the shirt she was wearing. "Someone must have worn me out?" He teased as he kissed her once more.

"Really? She teased back as she lightly traced along the waistband of his shorts. "I didn't think it was possible to wear out a SEAL."

"Didn't you fall asleep first?" He reminded her as he traced one hand along her spine.

"I'm sure it was you." She replied as she hooked her thumbs inside the waistband of his shorts and pushed them down his hips.

"What about Dinner?" He asked as he brushed his lips across hers as he ran his hands up her sides, his thumbs brushing the outer swell of her breasts.

"Nothing that won't keep." She assured him as she lifted her hands above her head so he could slip the shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor as he edged her backwards towards the bed.

…..

Turtle bay resort.

Tuesday morning.

"Ohh, mmm." Catherine moaned as she felt Steve kissing his way down her spine as he pulled the sheet from her naked body. She hissed as he nipped at her hip before soothing it with a kiss as he moved back up her body and rolled them so they were on their sides with Steve spooned behind her. One hand was busy caressing her body, the other on her stomach holding her tightly as he rubbed himself against her bottom. She angled her head giving him better access to her neck as he nudged her hair out of the way as he kissed a path along her shoulder.

He smiled against her neck as he felt her move her leg over the top of his, her foot hooking behind his leg. Moving his hand down her body, he slipped his fingers between her legs as he brushed through her curls. He felt Catherine's nails digging into his hip as he slipped a finger inside her as his thumb brushed across her clitoris.

….

Iolani Palace.

"Mahalo." Danny said as he hung up and replaced his office phone in its cradle. Pushing himself to his feet he moved from behind his desk as he made his way out of his office to join the rest of the team who were stood around the smart table as they went through evidence from the Rollins case. "I've just got off the phone with Tripler, Anna Petrovitch is awake."

"Is her Doctor letting us in?" Lou asked as he turned to look at his colleague.

"He is." Danny agreed.

"Should we let Steve know?" Kono wanted to know as she looked around at the three men.

"You really want to disturb him?" Chin asked her with a shake of his head.

"I'm not making that call." Danny pointed out as he looked across at Lou.

"Don't look at me, I have a wife and two kids to think about." Lou pointed out. No way was he breaking up Steve's honeymoon with Catherine.

"He's gonna want to know." Kono pointed out as she looked around at her three male colleagues.

"He's your partner." Lou pointed out with grin as he looked at Danny from across the smart table.

"I have to agree with Lou." Chin sided as he looked expectantly at Danny.

"Kono's the rookie." Danny pointed out as he grinned at Kono.

"No way." Kono denied as she backed away from the table, pointing out. "You're the one in charge in Steve's absence."

"She's got you there, Williams." Lou said.

"Fine, I'll do it." He grumbled as he pulled his cell from his pocket and brought up Steve's number.

…..

Turtle bay resort.

Catherine sighed in contentment as she rolled over and snuggled closer to Steve, her head resting on his pillow as they bumped their noses together. Her fingers were tracing patterns on his shoulders and arms, each stroke of her finger perfectly mapping each line of his tattoo from memory. She'd been with him for some of the work, the two of them intoxicated and on shore leave at the same time.

The ringing of a cell phone sounded faintly from somewhere in the room, causing Steve to sigh in frustration as he recognised the ringtone as his own. "That's definitely yours." Catherine pointed out as she dropped a quick kiss on his lips.

"Yeah." He agreed as he sat up and glanced around the room, trying to remember where he had left it last night. "Help me find my cell." He urged her as he climbed from the bed.

"I'd rather enjoy the view." Catherine teased as she rolled over to kneel on the bed and watch him.

Steve shook his head as he followed the insistent ringing of his cell phone as he attempted to locate it amongst the pile of clothes they had shed the previous night in a rush. Finding his pants on the bottom of the pile he quickly rummaged through his pocket in an attempt to answer it before the caller rang off. Pulling it from his pocket in triumph he glanced at the caller id, groaning when he noticed it was Danny calling him. A phone call from his partner would more than likely mean Five-0 had caught a case, or the other man felt the need to have a moan about something.

"Hey Danny, what's up?" He asked as he answered the call.

 _"_ _Took you long enough to answer." Danny complained down the line._

"Couldn't find my cell." Steve explained as he moved back towards the bed so he could sit down on the edge of the mattress.

"Don't you mean couldn't find your pants, sailor." Catherine chuckled as she moved closer to Steve.

 _"_ _Okay, I didn't need to know that." Danny complained upon hearing Catherine's words._

"So, what's going on?" Steve asked, ignoring Danny's words.

 _"_ _We've had a call from Tripler about Anna Petrovitch, she's up to visitors." Danny told him._

"Get over there and see what you can get out of her." Steve ordered as he turned to look at Catherine over his shoulder.

 _"_ _You want me to wait till you get there." Danny asked, assuming his partner would want to be there_.

"No, you go ahead without me." Steve told him as he felt the bed shift as Catherine moved closer to him. He felt her hand on his shoulder just as she wrapped her arms around him from behind, her chin resting on his shoulder as she plastered herself to his body.

 _"_ _You sure? I thought you'd want to be here." Danny answered in confusion._

Steve was just about to answer when Catherine took the phone from him and placed it next to her ear as she spoke to Danny. "Steve will meet you there." She told him before disconnecting the call and handing him his phone back.

"Cath, I'm not going." Steve told her as he took his cell from her, watching as she climbed from the bed and began routing through their duffle's for clothes.

"Well, I guess that means you're coming with me." She told him as she tossed him a change of clothes as she headed into the bathroom to shower.

"Catherine." He called after her as he tossed the clothes onto the bed as he followed her into the bathroom. "You're not going anywhere near that woman." He insisted as he watched her turn on the shower.

"Yes, I am." Catherine said as she closed the distance between him, placing a hand on his stubble covered jaw. "You're not the only one with question's."

"I know, but this woman is responsible for hurting you." Steve managed to get out.

Catherine placed one of her fingers against his lips stopping him from saying anything more on the subject. "I know what she did, Steve. I only have to close my eyes and I'm back in that basement with her. I won't allow her to turn me into a helpless victim."

"I don't want you having to face her." Steve explained as he took hold of her hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

"How many times did you face Wo Fat before you killed him? How many run ins did you have with Victor Hesse after he shot your dad?" She asked in an attempt to get her point across.

"Catherine, it's completely different." He tried to defend.

"Is it? This Dr Gray that you currently have on your watch list, are you not going to face her again because she hurt you and tried to kill you?" Catherine asked as she placed her hand on his chest. "They went after my dad, Steve. He's still in ICU because of what they did to him."

"I know you want them for what they did to your dad, but Danny can get that information. We don't need to be there." He pointed out.

"Have you ever thought that maybe, I need to do this, that I need to face her. She was ready to have me killed, Steve. All she was waiting for was Lynn coming back to finish it, she told Rudenko that he could some fun with me." Her voice wavered as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. "I was unconscious, I don't…"

Steve closed his eyes at her words, pulling her to himself as he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head as he tried to block out the images in his head. Images of Catherine being restrained in that chair as Rudenko approached her with the wires to shock her. The sound of her screams echoing through his mind. "He didn't, they ran the test." He promised, knowing that she was uncertain about being raped.

"You're sure?" Catherine asked into his shoulder.

"I'm sure. You're Doctor ran the exam, he didn't find anything." He reassured her as he threaded his fingers through her hair. "The only thing that made the Doctor think there was a possibility was bite marks and bruises on your hips."

Catherine chuckled into his shoulder. "And you left those." She realised as she pulled away to look at his face.

"Yeah." He agreed as he used the pad of his thumb to wipe the moisture from her eyes. "He didn't rape you, Catherine."

She nodded her head, trusting his words. Going up on tip toes she brushed a quick kiss across his lips. "I need to do this." She insisted.

"Okay." He said as he realised he wouldn't be able to sway her from her decision.

…..


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks once again for all the reviews, as always very much appreciated. This chapter has taken a while to do, I just couldn't get it right in my head.**

 **Catherine and Steve finally get to have a little chat with Anna, and get another name for their investigation. They'll be getting a little help from some old friends, but they won't be playing a major role in the investigation. (I can't help but bring in the NCIS LA team every once in a while.)**

 **Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Wendy.**

Tripler Army Medical Centre.

Steve nodded his head in acknowledgement of the SWAT team that was stationed outside Anna Petrovitch's hospital room. His partner was leaning against the wall opposite the door as he waited for them to arrive. He watched as Danny pushed himself from the wall as Catherine and himself came to a stop outside the room.

"Hey, her Doctor says she's stable enough to be questioned. She's still on pain meds and antibiotics but doc said she's fully lucid, they'll monitor her from the desk. She's all ours." Danny explained to them. "You know, I didn't think you'd bring Catherine with you."

"She can be persuasive." Steve said with a grin as he glanced across at his wife.

"Must be why you like me, Commander." She stated as she turned her attention to Danny to ask him, "Does she know she's getting visitors?"

"No, she doesn't. How are we doing this?" Danny asked Steve, wanting to know if Catherine would be in the room with them.

"Cath, wants to talk to her first." Steve told him. The two of them had discussed the situation in the truck on the hour long journey to the hospital. He watched as Catherine placed her hand on the handle and took a deep breath, steeling herself before pushing open the door and stepping into the room.

"She okay?" Danny asked as he placed his hand on Steve's arm to stall him as they watched Catherine enter Anna Petrovitch's room.

"She will be." Steve said as he shook of Danny's hand and followed Catherine into the room.

…..

Iolani Palace.

Chin was stood at the smart table reviewing some of the evidence that they had taken from Lynn's home when the computer found a match in the data base. Clicking on the file he found a connection to an ongoing case on the mainland. Quickly scanning through the brief amount of information that had been added to the Law enforcement data base he was able to find a contact name and number. He was just pulling his cell from his pocket when Kono entered the bullpen.

"You find something, cuz?" Kono asked as she left her office and noticed the open file on the plasma screen.

"I have. It seems that Anna Petrovitch is currently on an NCIS watch list for a kidnapping and execution of a Naval officer in LA. I'm just about to contact Agent Hanna to see what he can tell us." Chin told her as he dialled the number for the LA office of NCIS.

…..

Tripler Army Medical Centre.

Catherine stared at the dark-haired women in the bed as she sensed Steve moving into the room behind her. She felt his hand at the small of her back, his touch giving her the strength to make her legs move. Anna Petrovitch was turned away from the door as she stared out of the window. Catherine took a deep breath and moved towards the bed.

"I was wondering when someone would come to visit me." Anna said with a heavy Russian accent. "I tell you nothing."

"You will tell me what I want to know." Catherine said as she stepped up to the foot of the bed as Anna's head snapped around to look at her.

"Lieutenant Rollins, you look a little healthier than I saw you last." Anna commented as she allowed her eyes to rake over Catherine's body.

"I want to know who ordered the hit on my dad?" Catherine asked, ignoring the way Anna was looking at her in an attempt to unsettle her.

"It matters not, he served a purpose." Anna dismissed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Who ordered the hit? Was it you?" Catherine demanded as she took a step closer to the bed and carefully noted what equipment was in use around the room. "Did you order the hit on my dad?" She raised her voice as she looked at Anna who was smiling smugly at her from the bed.

"Yes." Anna gloated as she watched the Lieutenant suck in a breath. "He was the bait, to get you. Dimitri enjoyed himself immensely with your father."

"You bitch." Catherine spat as she grabbed hold of the spy by the throat.

"Cath," Steve warned as he pulled Catherine away from Petrovitch.

Anna laughed as she watched the scene before her. "Dimitri was so looking forward to having some fun with you, Lieutenant."

It was Steve's turn to push Catherine behind him in a protective move as he angrily approached the woman in the bed. "I'd watch what you say to my wife, if I was you. Your minion is currently in Halawa with lots of broken bones and a dislocated shoulder because he didn't watch his mouth." Steve pointed out menacingly.

"You lie." Anna declared with a smile. "American police do not do this."

"We don't use the same rule book at Five-0 that HPD use. We have immunity and means." Steve explained with a smirk of his own.

"You still cannot do it." She replied with a snort. "You are police."

"But I'm not." Catherine pointed out as she stepped around Steve and grabbed hold of Anna's free arm as she pressed the palm of her hand over the dressing on her shoulder. "I have some questions for you."

"We'll be outside if you need anything." Steve said with a grin as he placed his hand on Catherine's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze before he stepped away from the bed and indicated to Danny that they should exit the room.

….

Iolani Palace.

Steve placed his hand on the small of Catherine's back as they made their way down the corridor towards the five-0 offices. Danny was a few steps ahead of them as he pushed open the door, holding it open for them to step through as they all made their way down the corridor and into the bullpen where Chin and Kono was stood by the smart table.

"Hey, we didn't expect to see you for the rest of the week." Chin said when he saw the newlyweds approaching.

"I wasn't planning it either. Hey Sam, good to see you." Steve said when he saw Chin was in the middle of a conference call.

"I hear congratulations are in order." Sam said with an easy smile.

"Yeah, thanks." Steve said with a grin as he glanced up at the plasma to see what Chin and Kono were working on.

"You know, about time you two finally did it." Sam told him with a grin.

"I hear ya." Steve agreed with a smile. "Petrovitch is on your watch list?" He asked as he scanned through the information on the screen.

"Yeah, she was responsible for the death of Lieutenant Commander Robert Anders." Sam began only to be cut off by Catherine.

"From Naval Intelligence?" Catherine asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Sam acknowledged, realising that Catherine must have known the dead Commander through her work in Naval Intelligence.

"Catherine?" Steve asked her in concern.

"We worked together when I was in the Gulf. He was married with kids." Catherine told them sadly as she shook her head. "He was a really nice guy, always passing around photos of his kids."

"Well at least we got her for it now." Steve pointed out as he placed his hand over Catherine's and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he directed his next question to Sam and his team. "Can you tell us any details?

"Not much I'm afraid. From what we could tell she had an accomplice pick him up while they interrogated him, but we don't have any idea on what information she was after. The Commander wasn't even working on anything of interest at the time, and there weren't any breaches in security." Sam explained.

"They fled before we could pick her up. We think there was another woman and man with her, but the place had been wiped by the time we got there." Kensi added.

"In which case, we probably have the three of them." Steve explained. "Dimitri Rudenko and Lynn Downie were the other two we arrested with Petrovitch."

"We've not come across the woman's name before. What's her back story?" Kensi enquired.

"She passed herself of as someone who was raised on the Island and she's held a secretary position with the assistant District attorney for the past couple of years." Steve explained, swallowing down his anger at the way he'd allowed himself to be played by her. "Looks as if she took the name of a teenager who died over twenty years ago."

"Chin said they'd gone after Catherine, what information were they after?" Sam asked Steve, curious to know why Catherine had been targeted by the group.

"The location of a CIA field agent." Steve explained cryptically not wanting to have to explain the whole story to Sam and his team.

"Why would they think you knew." Sam pushed.

"The short version is I tipped my hand to them when I came to Steve for help in getting the agent out of a tight spot. When Steve returned home without the both of us, they figured I knew her location." Catherine briefly outlined, knowing Steve wasn't ready to tell Sam and his team everything that had happened between Lynn and himself.

"They went after Catherine's dad, worked him over pretty bad and dumped him near the Arizona memorial." Steve told them as he glanced across at Catherine to see how she was holding up.

"He going to be okay?" Sam asked.

"He's still in ICU at Tripler, but his Doctor is confident he'll make a full recovery." Catherine shared with a smile.

"There's something you're not telling us?" Callen suggested as he looked at the couple as they shared a glance between them. "Why would they know the agent hadn't returned with you?"

"They had me under surveillance for over a year, Lynn was introduced to me by a friend. From what I've managed to find out, she befriended Ellie as a way of getting to me. Ellie is our A.D.A." Steve explained for the benefit of the L.A team, adding when he saw eyebrows raise. "Ellie knew my dad, he worked her father's homicide case and kept in touch."

"What about the agent? Why would they think you knew where to find her?" Sam asked Steve when he realised that McGarrett somehow had a connection to the company agent.

"Because the agent they wanted was my mother." Steve told them simply.

"I thought she died when you were a kid." Sam exclaimed in confusion.

"So, did I. Mom faked her own death to protect Mary and me and went in to hiding for twenty years." Steve explained briefly. "I brought her home after we caught WoFat, she stayed a while before going back into the field."

"Wait, your Mom was Shelbourne?" Kensi asked as she pieced together the information.

"Yeah." Steve agreed before explaining. "Shelbourne was a code name she used before she met my dad."

"Did you get anything out of Petrovitch?" Sam questioned.

"Not much. They were sent by a Yuri Nikolaev to locate Doris by any means. He was apparently getting a little impatient over the team's lack of progress in finding Doris, especially Lynn's lack of progress in going through Steve's home office." Catherine explained as she glanced across at Steve. "She claims not to have any knowledge of what Nikolaev wants with Doris." Catherine informed both teams as she turned back to look at the screen.

"Nikolaev is former KGB." Sam announced as he recognised the name. "We've come across him before.

"Chin said she was recovering from surgery, any chance you'll let us take her of your hands?" Callen asked from his position beside Sam.

Danny snorted before he spoke. "She's having her shoulder re-stitched and her nose set curtsey of the Ramboette." Danny pointed out.

"You go girl." Kono chuckled as she held her fist out for Catherine to bump.

"She should feel lucky she still has all her teeth." Catherine told Danny as she turned to look at him.

"You're welcome to have your people question her, Rudenko and Lynn are both in Halawa if you want to speak to them." Steve told them as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Thanks, we'll make the arrangements." Sam said, adding. "I'm expecting that steak dinner you still owe me."

"I haven't forgotten, give me a call when you get on the Island and we'll set it up." Steve insisted with a grin as they ended the conference call. He slipped his arm around Catherine's shoulder as he steered her towards the exit, calling over his shoulder. "Call if anything else comes up."

"Where you going?" Danny called after his partner's retreating back.

"The Hotel." Steve announced as they reached the doors. He paused briefly, turning to look back at the team as he called out to Kono. "Kono, thanks for the wedding present." He said, the sound of her laughter following him out of the office.

…


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks for the review's.**

 **A little bit of good news for McRoll as their honeymoon comes to a close in this chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Wendy x**

Turtle Bay Resort.

Saturday 0500 hrs

Catherine stirred from her sleep, Steve's light snoring coming from behind her indicating her husband was still sound asleep. Moving carefully so as not to wake him she rolled over so she could watch him, his face buried in his pillow as he lay face down in the bed. The sheet was pushed down to his waist showing of his muscled back as early morning light spilled into the room from the open balcony door. Tentatively reaching out a hand she traced his spine with the tips of her fingers, watching as he shifted on the bed and turned his head to look at her. One eye opened to peer at her, a sleepy smile on his face as he spotted her watching him.

"What time is it?" He asked groggily as he rolled onto his side to look at her.

"Still early." She whispered as she closed the distance between them and snuggled into his embrace, sighing contently when he brushed a gentle kiss against her forehead.

"Want to go for a swim before breakfast?" Steve enquired as he brushed her hair back from her face.

Shaking her head, Catherine suggested, "I can think of something else we could do instead."

"Really?" Steve asked with a grin. "Does it involve leaving the room?"

"No." Catherine replied with a grin as she moved her leg to slide it over his hip as she moved closer to him. "You'll still get a morning workout, though." She teased.

He grinned again as he palmed her hip, rubbing himself against her centre. "I like our joint morning workouts." He told her huskily as he brushed his mouth across hers cutting off her chuckle.

Catherine slipped her hand into his hair as Steve kissed her, his tongue duelling with hers as his hand mapped her curves. He pulled away from her lips to kiss his way along her jaw to her ear. She moaned as he gently nipped her lobe before soothing it with his lips as he cupped her breast, his thumb brushing across her nipple as he rolled her beneath him.

"Arr." He groaned as he felt her hand slipping between their bodies to wrap around his rapidly growing erection, his kisses becoming more urgent as she stroked his length.

"Good?" She asked in a teasing tone when he tore his mouth from hers to rest his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes.

"O yeah." He agreed with a chuckle as he savoured the sensation of her hand on his erection as she continued to stroke him. He kissed her again, growling into her mouth when he felt her thumb stroke across the head. "Need to stop." He warned her as he grabbed for her hand.

Smiling against his mouth she allowed him to pull her hand from his body as he trailed kisses down her neck, his hands mapping her back as he held her to him. It was her turn to moan as she felt his hardness brush across her folds as he rubbed himself against her. Wrapping her legs around his waist she arched her body into his as he ran a hand down her body, gripping her hip as his mouth devoured hers.

Sliding his hand along her hip and thigh he slipped his hand between her folds to test her readiness, he groaned as he felt how ready she was. He teased at her opening; two fingers slipping threw her folds, as she panted rolling her hips against him. Steve grinned against her skin, loving the sounds she made as he pumped his fingers inside her, twisting and rubbing.

"Ow God, Steve." She gasped on a low moan. "Need you."

Steve grinned against her neck as he withdrew his fingers from her body, pushing himself upwards on one forearm as he slipped his hand between them to grasp at his erection as he guided himself into her body. Gripping her hips, he slowly thrust into her, his forehead resting against hers as his eyes locked with Catherine's. Her body arched and moved with his as they found their rhythm. A rhythm born of familiarity and mutual desire.

Slipping his arms around her back he picked up their pace, Catherine matching him stroke for stroke. His mouth covered hers as he kissed her deeply, his tongue duelling with hers as she kissed him back just as furiously. Pulling away from her lips to draw breath in to his lung's he looked down into her face. Catherine's face was flushed with passion as he moved over and inside her. He loved hearing the breathy little moans and sighs that came from her throat and the way her eyes glazed over with passion.

Sensing his gaze, she opened her eyes to find Steve watching her with a look of contentment and love on his face. He smiled at her as he dipped his face to hers and brushed her lips with his own. Catherine slid her hands to his shoulders, her nails digging into his shoulders as her body tensed as she climaxed.

Steve felt Catherine's body squeeze his as she found her release and he stopped fighting his body, letting go as he spilled himself inside her body. He kissed her again, pulling away to rain tiny kisses down her throat and across her shoulder before retracing his path back up her neck to her ear. He dropped his head down into the crook of her neck, almost purring in contentment when Catherine slipped her fingers through his sweaty hair to scratch his scalp with her nails.

Her legs were still wrapped around his hips, the two of them still intimately connected as they lay in each other's embrace, not yet willing to break their connection. Steve pushed up on his arms, grinning down into Catherine's flushed face with her blissful smile. He, brushed a kiss across her lips before placing a soft kiss on her forehead as her legs relaxed and she shifted on the bed beneath him. He moaned at the sensations the movement caused as he wrapped his arms around her and rolled to his back.

She shifted finding a more comfortable position as she laid her head on his chest, her fingers tracing patterns on his shoulders. "Can we just stay here." She murmured as she placed a kiss on his chest.

He chuckled as he stroked his hand through her hair hold her too him. "I don't think the Governor would approve that." He said as he lifted his head to look at her.

"Yeah. I don't want to go back to the real world." Catherine confessed as she lifted her head to return his gaze.

"You know, I haven't asked." He started only to be cut off by Catherine.

"I don't know what I'm going to do for work, but I'm not coming back to Five-0." She told him.

"Okay, if that's what you want." He agreed with a smile.

"It is." She replied as she untangled herself from his embrace and knelt on the bed bedside him. "After everything that's happened in the past couple of years, it's made me realise what I want for myself."

Sitting up he moved back against the headboard as he took hold of her hands. He swallowed, suddenly nervous that she was about to ask him for something he couldn't provide her with. "What is it you need?"

"I'm done with the constant traveling and putting myself at risk. I want a permanent home and a family, with you." She said, watching as the smile lit his face.

"I want that too." He agreed with a smile. "You know how dangerous my job is…"

"I'm not asking you to change, I know you'll be careful." She finished for him, immediately knowing what he was going to say to her.

"I will." He agreed as he ran his thumb around her wedding band as he reached out his other hand to run it across her hip and onto her stomach. "I have a lot to lose." He told her, the silent question hanging in the air.

"I'll pick up a test on the way home." She promised with a smile as she shared. "I'm a couple of days late."

"Guess we're making a stop on the way home." He agreed with a grin, watching as she nervously chewed at her bottom lip.

"Steve, I…" She broke of nervously taking a deep breath before continuing. "I still need to de-brief and officially end my contract."

"I know you do." He reassured her, before asking. "When do they need you?" He'd heard her cell ringing the previous night when he'd taken a shower and had been resisting the urge to ask her about it.

"I'm booked on a flight for Thursday morning." Catherine announced. "I got a call last night while you were in the shower." She admitted.

"Alright, I'll drop you off." He insisted as he looked at her pointedly.

"Thanks." Catherine said as she moved on the bed so she could snuggle up beside him, his arm going around her shoulders as she rested her head on his chest. "I won't be able to go to Max's party."

"He'll understand." Steve assured her as he trailed his fingers up and down her arm. "Promise me something."

"I'll call every night." She assured him with a smile as she turned her face to brush a kiss across his mouth.

"Okay. You know we have a few hours till we have to check out." He pointed out with a smirk as he kissed her, pulling her down on to the mattress as he rolled her beneath him.

…..

McGarrett Residence.

Friday 2400 hrs

Opening his bedside drawer, he placed his gun inside before closing it and sitting down on the bed to remove his boots. Not bothering to remove his clothes he leaned back against the headboard as he turned his head to look at the empty space beside him. He smiled when he spotted the neatly folded pile of night clothes on her pillow and couldn't resist picking up the shirt she'd been wearing the previous morning. Bringing it up to his face he inhaled her unique scent. He was brought out of his thoughts as his cell began to ring. Dropping the shirt into his lap he reached across to his nightstand to pick up his cell, smiling when he saw the caller display.

"Hey, Cath." He said as answered her call.

"Hey, Sailor." She replied sleepily down the line. "Hope I didn't wake you?"

"You didn't, I've only just got home from Max's farewell party. I take it you've just woken up." He questioned as he sunk back into the pillows to get comfortable while they talked.

"Yeah, I'm still in bed. It's freezing here, and I don't want to get out of my nice warm bed." She told him as she stifled back a yawn. "Did everyone have a good time?"

"Yeah it was a good night." He answered as he closed his eyes and let the sound of her voice wrap around him as he imagined her lay beside him as they talked in the quiet of the room.

"I wish I could have been there with you." She said softly as she snuggled down into the covers more fully, her cell pressed to her ear as she imagined being wrapped in his arms as his voice wrapped around her soothingly. O how she'd missed their late night conversations while she'd been gone the past couple of years. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine the lapping of waves on the hull of a ship while she lay in her bunk and whispered down the line, something the two of them had done so often during their Naval career's.

"Max, he understood why you couldn't." He reassured her gently before changing the subject. "How are you feeling? Any nausea?"

"I feel fine, so you can stop worrying." She chastised him gently as her hand automatically went to cover her flat stomach protectively.

"How's your meetings going?" He asked cryptically, knowing they had to be careful what they said over an unsecured line.

"Okay. I've just barely scratched the surface and there's a lot to go through, so I'll probably be a few weeks yet." She confessed.

"I thought you might." He'd known she'd have a lot to go through before the company let her go. "You've not hit any problems because of my mom, have you?"

Catherine chuckled down the line. "No. It seems like Doris has extended her insurance policy to me. I'm meeting her for breakfast before I head to the office." Catherine shared with him. Her mother-in-law had been waiting for her at the airport when she had landed. The other woman had quickly filled her in on what measures she had taken to ensure Catherine could walk away from the company without the fear of looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.

"Wait, my mom's there?" Steve asked in surprise as he sat up on the bed.

"Yeah, she picked me up from the airport." Catherine told him. "She wanted to explain how her insurance policy had been altered to benefit ALL her family."

"You told her?" He asked with a proud grin on his face at the thought of his wife carrying his child. He was still getting his head around how fast it had all happened.

"I did." Catherine confessed with a grin of her own. "I don't think she stopped grinning the whole ride from the airport, she's been sending me links to websites practically non-stop since."

Steve chuckled at the image of his mom wearing a proud Grandma grin as she browsed the internet looking at baby things for his child. "Tell me you got a picture." Steve urged.

"Sorry, I didn't get one." She confessed with a chuckle as she glanced across at the clock on the nightstand. "I really need to get up if I'm going to make it to breakfast."

"Alright, I'll call you later before you go to bed." He promised her as he heard the rustle of bedding as she got up. "And Catherine…"

"I Know." She broke off as she promised. "I love you too."

"Aloha." He said as they said their goodbyes and ended the call.


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry for the long delay in posting, real life has gotten in the way big time. I've decide to move and I'm currently spending a lot of time trying to downsize as I won't have the same storage as before and packing stuff up ready for the move. The word nightmare doesn't even cover it, I have so much stuff in my loft/attic to get rid of it's unbelievable.**

 **Thank you to everyone who left review, as always they are greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Wendy x**

Washington D.C.

"Good morning, Catherine." Doris greeted with a smile as she saw her daughter-in-law approach the table where she was seated. Standing up she moved to greet her properly.

"Hey, Doris. Sorry I'm a little late." Catherine greeted as she briefly hugged the other woman before sliding onto the seat on the other side of the table.

"Have you told Steve?" Doris wanted to know as she looked at Catherine as she removed her coat and laid it on the seat beside her.

"Yes. He actually brought you up himself." Catherine explained as she made eye contact with the waitress. "Can I get a glass fresh orange, please." She asked the waitress who took her order and moved off to get the drink.

"I'm not here to make trouble for you, Catherine." Doris pointed out as she took a sip of her tea.

"I know, which is why I agreed to meet you for breakfast." Catherine returned with a smile. "Steve knows I'm here." She assured the other woman.

"Did Steve tell you about my journal?" Doris wanted to know.

"Yes." Catherine confirmed, breaking of as the waitress reappeared with her drink. "Thank you."

"Are you ladies ready to order? Or would you like a few more minutes?" The waitress asked as she placed the glass of fruit juice in front of Catherine.

After a quick glance at each other to confirm they were ready to order they placed their choices and the waitress disappeared of once again leaving the two women to continue their conversation.

"Steve's told me what you wrote about marrying John and having a family. That's the reason I'm sat here having breakfast, Doris. Steve's made peace with his past, he knows his childhood was exactly as he remembers it before you disappeared. He knows that Mary and himself were both planned and wanted because John and yourself had discussed having a family out of love." Catherine broke off as she reached across the table to take Doris's hand in her own.

"Thank you." Doris said. "I thought that leaving was the best way to keep my family safe, I never wanted them hurt because of my past." She sniffed back a few tears that threatened to fall.

"I, more than anyone understand that. I did the same thing, Doris. I thought that by taking the job offer… I could keep Steve safe, but all I did was cause him more hurt." Catherine told her deliberately being vague due to their location. "I pushed him into the arms of another woman set on using him for her own personal gain."

"He's forgiven you." Doris pointed out as she placed her hand over Catherine's left hand and tapped at the stunning engagement ring and the wedding band that adorned her finger.

"He's done the same with you, Doris." Catherine told her with a smile. "You know when you do move back home, we're expecting you to be on hand to help change diapers." She teased with a grin.

"I'm looking forward to that." Doris assured her with a proud grin, before asking. "Have you told your parents yet?"

"Not yet. Steve and I have agreed to wait till my dad's out of the hospital to tell them. Hopefully by the time I get home my dad will have been released from Tripler." Catherine informed her. "We're going to keep it to ourselves for a little while, we're not ready to tell the Ohana just yet."

"I understand, and I promise I'll keep it to myself. Mum's the word." Doris told her with a wink, making Catherine chuckle, a wide beaming grin across her face.

"Thank you." Catherine said sincerely as she took a sip of her juice.

"I meant what I said yesterday, Catherine. I am sorry people got hurt because of my past actions, and I have dealt with it, it won't happen again." Doris assured her.

"We appreciate that." Catherine said vaguely. "Steve got a call from an old Navy friend of ours, wanted to let us know that Yuri Nikolaev had been involved in a serious car accident earlier in the week." She watched as a small smile of triumph crossed the other woman's face before she schooled her reaction.

"Yes, I had heard he'd died, I really must send flowers." Replied Doris with a pleasant smile, fully aware that her son and his wife knew who had caused the crash.

…

Danny's Camaro

Pulling himself up from the bench he was currently sitting on as he spotted his car being driven back into the parking lot at high speed as his partner turned the steering wheel sharply as he parked against the curb. He watched as the female instructor climbed from the vehicle on shaky legs and made her way to the curb, grabbing hold of a metal sign post to steady herself.

"Very nice, you fail already?" Danny asked Steve through the open driver's window.

"Duke called, get in." Steve informed him, forgoing pleasantries.

Danny made his way around to the passenger side of the car and climbed in, buckleing his seat belt as Steve gunned the engine and tore out of the parking lot. "So where are we going?

"Nation of Hawaii." Steve said and quickly began relaying the small amount of information he had on the case.

"Have you spoke to Catherine?" Danny wanted to know as Steve made his way through the traffic.

"Yes, I have. She called me last night after I got home." Steve shared with his partner, a huge smile lighting his face at the mention of his wife's name.

Danny shook his head as he took in the huge smile on his friends face at the mention Catherine's name. "Is she in any trouble over your Mom's rescue?" He wanted to know.

"No. My mom's been running interference with the company to keep Catherine out of trouble." Steve explained as he glanced across at Danny in the passenger seat of the Camaro. "Catherine was meeting her for breakfast."

"You don't find that a little freaky?" Danny asked as he stared at his partner in the driving seat.

"What?" Steve asked in confusion as he glanced across at Danny.

"That your wife gets along so well with your mom that they're having breakfast together?" Danny wanted to know.

"Why would I find that weird? My mom and Catherine have always got along with each other." Steve admitted, not understanding where Danny was going with this.

"Rachel never got along with my mom." Danny suddenly announced. "They certainly never voluntarily had breakfast together."

"Cath's only skipped out on breakfast with her once." Steve shared with a smirk.

"What's the story behind that smug look?" Danny pushed. "Come on, spill it."

"My mom stopped by one morning to fix breakfast." Steve shared with grin.

"I don't think I want to know." Danny suddenly complained as he glared at Steve. "I do not want details."

"I wasn't going to give you any. We were sleeping, and I mean that literally." Steve pointed out before he continued. "I heard someone downstairs, so I grabbed my gun and went to check it out."

"With the Ramboette watching your six." Danny guessed with a chuckle as his friend nodded his head in agreement.

"Cath made some excuse about a meeting on base and took off, leaving me to have breakfast with her on my own." Steve admitted with a grin as he slowed down as they reached the area that had been cordoned off by HPD cruiser's.

"Smart woman." Danny pointed out as Steve parked the Camaro and the two of them climbed from the vehicle to great Lou who had pulled to a stop beside them.

…

Nation of Hawaii.

Danny glanced over at Steve and caught him checking his watch as he pushed himself up from the bench and moved away from the long trestle table, fishing his cell out of his pocket. Wanting to know what his partner was up to, he headed in that direction. Steve had his back to him as he waited for the person on the other end to answer his call. Danny stopped in his tracks and quickly moved away to give his partner some privacy as he heard him greet his wife.

"Whose Steve talking to?" Lou asked as Danny returned to the table.

"Catherine." Danny announced as he glanced back over his shoulder to make sure his partner was still out of ear shot. "Have any of you noticed something different about Steve?" He asked.

Lou looked at the Jersey Detective and gave a loud laugh. "You mean beside the ring on his finger?"

"Now that you mention it, he has been in an overly good mood." Chin pointed out as he too glanced across at Steve.

"The man's just got back from his honeymoon, that's gonna put any normal man in a good mood." Lou pointed out as he shook his head in amazement at his two colleagues

"Catherine's on the mainland though." Danny reminded Lou.

"You know for Detectives, you three are completely clueless." Kono told them as she approached, overhearing most of their conversation.

"You know something!" Chin realised as he turned to look at Kono who was grinning at the three of them.

"I might have overheard the boss asking Catherine how she was feeling after her flight landed in DC." Kono told them with a grin, raising an eyebrow when they all looked at her with puzzled expressions. "He was asking her about nausea." She added.

"She suffers from motion sickness." Chin pointed out, he'd heard Steve teasing her about how she always got sick whenever they'd flown.

"She was in the Navy." Lou exclaimed as he looked down his nose at Chin to push his point across.

"She gets air sick." Chin explained for Lou's benefit.

Danny's eyes went wide as he realised what Kono was suggesting. "Wait, you think she's..." Danny started only to cut himself off as he spotted his partner approaching them, quickly schooling his features as he asked. "Catherine okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. I wanted to catch her before she settled down for the night." Steve shared as he slipped his cell back into his pocket. "It's looking like she'll be on the mainland a couple of weeks."

"You okay with that?" Danny asked in concern.

"Yes I am." Steve answered. He'd been mentally preparing himself for his wife's trip ever since she'd come home from the hospital, he'd known it was only a matter of time before she was recalled to DC. He had been worried that something would go wrong and she would be forced to go on another assignment for the company. Finding out that his mother was in DC protecting Catherine was helping to alleviate his fears.

"This is just something that Catherine has to do, I understand that." Steve told them when he saw the sceptical looks his team sent his way. "If we want a future where Catherine isn't constantly looking over her shoulder, then this is what she has to do."

"You think Catherine's going to have problems with them?" Chin stated as he watched Steve closely.

Steve shook his head. "Not anymore. Doris has stepped in, she's using her leverage with the company to protect Cath." He shared with them, glancing around the area to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. "Catherine has confirmed Doris was behind Nikolaev's accident."

"I guess that means we're closing the Rollins case." Danny theorised as he glanced down the table to make sure no one was listening in on the conversation.

"Yeah. As far as NCIS are concerned we have the three-people responsible for Patricks assault and Catherine's abduction. With Nikolaev dead the only other person who knows what this is all about is my mother, and she's not going to tell us anything." Steve pointed out.

"Do you think this will be the end of it?" Chin asked vaguely as he spotted one of the village women approaching them with a plate of food.

"I hope so. My mom wrote to me just after Catherine came out of the hospital, claimed she'd taken precautions and dealt with the situation herself." Steve explained as he to glanced across at the approaching woman.

"It's not as if she's been forthcoming in the truth department in the past." Danny pointed out to Steve. "If she told you anything I doubt it would be the truth."

"Thank you for that, Danny." Steve growled in annoyance. It was one thing for Steve to know how his mother had lied to him, but he didn't need his partner rubbing it in his face. He waited for the woman to place the plate of food on the table and move off before he continued what he wanted to say. "If there's one thing about my mom that I do know; if it's anything to do with her past she will keep it to herself, and deal with it. The whole faking her own death and going into hiding for 20 years was to protect our family. I might not agree with her methods but I sure as hell understand why she felt the need to do it."

"How many more skeletons are going to come out of your mother's closet?" Danny queried as he glanced across at Steve. "I mean we thought that WoFat was the only threat to your family, but if there's more?"

"All we can do is wait and see." Steve reasoned knowing perfectly well that his mother's past could come back to haunt him at any time, but then again so could Catherine's or even his own.


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry this has taken so long to post.**

 **Last year has been a very hectic, emotional and difficult time for me. I've been battling with depression for the past year, and have found it really hard at times to find the motivation to do things. I'm really thankful that I have a great family and a wonderful friend who has been there for me throughout this difficult time.**

 **I'm determined that 2018 will be my year.**

 **I will be continuing this story, so bear with me a while longer as I post the chapters when I can. (I also need to re-watch a few episodes to get the characters back in my head)**

 **Wendy X**

Washington D.C

Catherine groaned as the ringing of her cell phone brought her out of a deep sleep. Reaching across the bed to grab the device from the bedside cabinet she was tempted to silence it until she saw Steve's face on the caller display.

"Hi." She greeted as she answered the call.

"I woke you up!" He stated as he heard the sleepiness in her voice.

"Yes, you did." Catherine agreed as she fluffed up the pillows and settled herself more comfortably in the bed.

"Sorry." He apologised. "I didn't think about the time difference."

"You okay?" She asked picking up on the tension in his voice.

"Dr Gray is back on the Island." He informed her with a sigh. "She walked into HPD covered in blood and claiming she was suffering from amnesia."

"Do you know who her victim is?" Catherine asked in concern as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"No victim, just more of her mind games. DNA came back to Alicia Brown, who was safely gardening when Lou and myself burst into her home." Steve answered with a small mirthless laugh.

"That's your FBI profiler friend, right?" Catherine said, recognising the name Steve had mentioned in brief conversations about the chest piece case.

"Yeah. Alicia is a little distressed by the whole incident. I've offered to stay over and keep her company." Steve informed her holding his breath as he waited for her response to the news.

Catherine smiled as she heard the uncertainty in his voice, knowing he was wondering how she would react to the news of him spending the night at the home of another woman. "I'm sure she'll feel a little more settled knowing your there." She reassure him. "I do trust you, you know?"

"I know you do." He acknowledged grateful that they still had that level of trust between them given how their relationship had been over the past couple of years.

"How are you doing? This can't be easy facing her after everything that happened the last time your paths crossed." Catherine asked in concern, knowing he'd have brushed aside the teams concern over the subject.

"She's playing me Catherine, and I hate being played. She's claiming she's someone else, and so help me but she's as convincing as hell. She's got the shrink won over she's that fuckin good at this." He answered angrily.

"Hey, you don't believe her that's the main thing." Catherine was quick to reassure him.

"I don't know what to believe." He said sighing deeply in frustration.

"What's your gut telling you?" She urged softly before she continued. "Close your eyes and think, the sound of her voice, her mannerisms, her smell, her feature. Is she Madison Gray or this other woman?"

Closing his eyes at her words he let her voice float over him as he replayed images of his past encounters with Dr Madison Gray. His mind conjuring up the way she greeted them in her office and her voice icily whispering down his ear after stabbing him in the back, and back to his recent meeting in the HPD holding room.

"It's her." He insisted as he opened his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Thanks, Cath."

"Do you need me to fly home?" She offered, ready to hop on the next available flight back to the Island if he needed her.

"No, I'll be fine. You finish what you need to do then come home." He told her.

"I've almost got everything wrapped up, I should be home by the weekend." She informed him as she settled back onto the bed once more as their conversation turned to more personal matters. Catherine ran her hand protectively across her still flat stomach as they talked and dreamed of their future as a family.

* * *

Honolulu Airport.

2 days later

After disembarking the flight from the mainland, Steve left Chin to escort Alicia and her daughter through the airport while he made his way through the crowds to check the arrivals board. Out of habit he scanned the crowd as he moved along the concourse, his gaze raking over the tourists, commuters and service personal that swarmed the airport. Finding the gate number for the D.C flight he headed in the direction he needed, finding a good spot to watch for Catherine as he leaned against the wall and waited for her flight to disembark.

Several minutes later he caught sight of his wife as she made her way through the crowd. She smiled as she spotted him, quickening her steps as she moved towards him. Dropping her carryon at her feet she wrapped her arms around his back as his mouth descended on hers. Reluctantly pulling back from their kiss he rested his forehead against hers as he stroked her hair from her face.

"I've missed you." Steve whispered softly as he lifted his head to look into her eyes.

"I've missed you too." She promised with a smile as she placed her hand on his chest and gazed at him. "Did you get her?" She wanted to know. She had been ready to board her flight and unable to speak to him after they'd gone in.

"No, she got away again. We did get a surprise victim though." He told her as he grabbed her pack and slipping his arm around her shoulders, steered her in the direction of Chin and the two women.

"Who?" Catherine wanted to know as she turned her head to look at him.

"Alicia's daughter, Sienna." Steve announced as he ushered her towards the baggage reclaim where Chin was waiting for them. "She'd been held prisoner all this time."

"Oh my god, the poor girl." Catherine gasped out in empathy to what the young woman must have endured during her long captivity.

"Aloha." Chin greeted as he spotted Catherine and Steve approaching them.

"Aloha." Catherine returned as she gave him a brief hug before turning to great Lou as he appeared beside her.

"Bout time you got back to save us from this grouch." Lou joked as he glanced across at a grinning McGarrett.

"Danny did text me S.O.S earlier in the week so I figured I needed to get back asap." Catherine said with a wink at Lou.

"Funny." Steve retorted with a shake of his head at the light-hearted teasing before asking. "Speaking of Danny, where is he?"

"Taking a call from Rachel." Lou informed Steve who raised an eyebrow in surprise at the news, before schooling his face and turning to face the two women stood a short distance away.

"Catherine this is Alicia and her daughter Sienna, my wife Catherine." Steve introduced.

Catherine took a step towards the mother and daughter shaking hands first with Alicia. "Hi, it's great to finally meet you. Steve's told me so much about you."

"You too." Alicia said a little distantly as she briefly glanced across at Steve. "I didn't know Steve was married until recently."

"We did do it rather quickly." Catherine explained with a smile briefly glancing at Steve who was smiling goofily at her.

"Try two hours from proposal to I do's." Lou quipped with a chuckle.

Steve was about to respond to Lou's teasing when Danny's voice sounded from just behind the group.

"That's because he's too cheap to pay for a big wedding." Danny snarked as he slapped his partner on the back. "Didn't even spring for a honeymoon."

"Wasn't much point spending hours flying somewhere when we didn't leave the hotel room." Steve replied with a smirk, watching as Danny whipped his head around to glare at him as the rest of the team laughed. Steve slapped Danny on the back as he moved away from the group to snag Catherine's bag of the carousel.

"Animal." Danny grumbled as he watched Steve retrieve his wife's luggage so they could leave the airport and head home.

"I wasn't really up to travelling." Catherine reminded Danny as she accepted a hug from him.

"Not the point." Danny argued with a grin as he added. "Welcome home, babe."

"Thanks, Danny." Catherine said as she stepped back and turned her attention back to Alicia and Sienna.

"I know it might not seem like it right now, but all this will get easier with time. It won't go away, but you will find a way to deal with it." Catherine quietly reassured Sienna as she took both of the young woman's hands in her own. "Talking about your ordeal will help you, and sometimes it's easier with a stranger. If you need someone to talk to don't be afraid to ask."

"I just want to forget." Sienna said hollowly, her torment still to raw in her mind.

"I know you do. I've been there myself, we all have." She gestured around her at the members of Five-0, all of them suffering through some trauma or other in there pasts. "Counselling really will help you to get through this." Catherine insisted with a gentle smile.

* * *

McGarrett's Residence.

3 days later.

Steve closed the front door behind him, dropping his keys on the coffee table as he made his way into the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge. He tossed the bottle top in the recycling bin as he brought the bottle to his lips and took a drink, slowly making his way out of the kitchen towards the stairs to see if Catherine was still awake. Stepping through the open doorway into his bedroom and not finding his wife, he glanced around the room noticing the door to the upper lanai was unlocked.

He grinned as he pushed open the door to be greeted to the sight of his wife wearing nothing but a pair of panties and one of his button down shirts as she slept on one of the loungers. The light spilling from the solar deck lights casting a soft glow across her pale skin. A book she had been reading was lying haphazardly on the floor where it had fallen from her hand, making him realise she must have been asleep some time. Quietly making his way across the floor he dropped down on his haunches as he gently brushed her hair from her face. Gazing down at her face he was greeted to a sleepy smile as she blinked her eyes open.

"Hey, sailor." She greeted as she stretched her arms above her head, linking them around his neck when he leaned in to brush a tender kiss across her lips.

"Lets get you into bed." He suggested as he slid his hand down her body slipping under the hem of the shirt before retracing his path back up her nude body.

"I'm not sleepy anymore." She responded with a grin, moaning when his palm made contact with her breast. "Mm... I could be persuaded to take another nap though."

Dropping a quick kiss on her lips he pushed to his feet, sweeping Catherine into his arms as he carried her back inside the house. Her arms had quickly encircled his neck as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Using his foot he was able to close the lanai door without having to put her down, quickly crossing the room to their bed so he could gently place her in the middle of the mattress. Catherine brought his head down to hers and he eagerly returned her kiss.

"How's Sienna doing?" Catherine wanted to know as Steve pulled away from her embrace to begin removing his clothes.

"She was asleep so I didn't get a chance to talk to her, but Alicia says she's doing okay." Steve told her as he pulled his shirt over his head tossing it across the room as he unfastened his pants and pushed them down before sitting on the bed to remove his boots. "Oh, Alicia has suggested we all go out to dinner sometime."

"Really?" Catherine asked in surprise, having gotten the impression the other woman didn't like her. She was prevented from saying anything else on the subject as Steve finished undressing and joined her on the bed, covering her body with his own as he kissed her deeply.

Steve's hand slipped into Catherine's hair holding her steady as he fastened his mouth to hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth to dual with hers. Pulling his mouth from hers to drag much needed air into his lungs he kissed and nipped his way down her neck as he ran his hand up and down one of her legs. His tongue flicked across one of her hardened nipples as she gasped and moaned, her hands holding him to her as he closed his lips around the tender bud and sucked.

"Oh god, don't stop." Catherine pleaded not wanting the sensation to end.

Switching breasts, he treated her other nipple to the same treatment as his hand moved to cup the abandoned breast, his finger and thumb pinching the sensitive peak as she moaned beneath him as her hands slid into his hair holding him to her. He released her nipple with a pop as he began trailing kisses down her breast bone and stomach, his tongue dipping briefly into her belly button as his hands went to her panties to remove them.

Catherine lifted her hips to help him slip her panties down her legs and off as he trailed kisses across her stomach before moving back up her body to cover her mouth with his own. Slipping one hand into his hair to hold him to her as he kissed her, there tongues duelling as she raked her other hand across his back fuelling his desire. Catherine hummed her desire into his mouth as he ran one of his hands down her side, his palm gently cupping her breast as his thumb brushed across her nipple before his hand trailed lower.

Slipping his hand between her parted thighs he brushed across her curls his fingers gently parting her folds as he stroked her clitoris with his thumb. He was rewarded with Catherine mewling his name against his neck as she dug her nails into his back as she convulsed beneath him. Pulling back from her body slightly he stared down at his wife in surprise.

"Wipe that smug grin off your face." Catherine insisted, her eyes closed as she pulled air into her lungs.

"Not a chance." He chuckled as he lowered his face to kiss along her neck, whispering in her ear. "I'm entitled to be smug when you come so quick for me."

Turning her head, Catherine was able to find his lips. Kissing him passionately as she slipped her hand between them to palm his erection. He pulled away from her lips burying his face into her neck, growling her name as she wrapped her hand around him and stroked his length. Closing his eyes he savoured her touch as she stroked her hand up and down his length.

Catherine smiled as she moved her hand on him, her ministrations a tantalising mix of firm, hard stokes and teasing little caresses as she stoked her thumb across the tip of his erection. His face was still buried in her neck, his breath hot against her skin as he moaned. Feathering tiny kisses across his cheek she trailed a path to his ear, darting her tongue out to trace along the shell of his ear before blowing gently. Catherine was rewarded with a shudder and a moan as the cool air hit his skin. Darting her tongue out once more she repeated her path along the shell of his ear before gently nipping at his lobe before soothing it with her tongue.

Steve gripped tightly to Catherine's body as she knowing used her hand and mouth on him to arouse him. He started a steady rocking with his hips as he pushed himself more fully into her hand, growling as Catherine murmured sexily down his ear. He felt her pushing against his shoulder as she twisted beneath him, rolling him to his back as she threw a leg across his hips and pushed herself upright. Her hand stilling its movement on his erection as she lowered herself onto his length. Steve slid his hands to her hips to hold her steady as she began to move on him.

He allowed her to set the pace, watching her as she slowly and leisurely moved above him. His hands trailed along her body, cupping her breasts as he pinched her hardened nipples between his thumb and fingers as she rocked above him.

His eyes stayed locked on her face as he watched the way she had her head flung back, her mouth slightly parted as she panted and moaned from the sensation of their love making. Trailing his hand down her body, he slipped his fingers between her legs to rub at the bundle of nerves.

Catherine moaned at the sensation of his fingers on her clit, the added stimulation taking her over the edge. "Oh, God." She gasped out, slumping forward to brace her hands on his chest as she came.

Slipping one hand around her waist and the other into her hair he brought her head down to his as he kissed her deeply, rolling her body beneath him as he continued to slowly move within her body. Pulling away from her lips he kissed his way down her neck, burying his face into the crook of her neck as he felt her fingers dig into his shoulders.

"Harder!" Catherine moaned as she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him to pick up the pace of there love making.

Steve grinned into the crook of her neck as he listened to her words. Shifting his weight he was able to hook her leg over his shoulder as he began to thrust into her more deeply as he quickened his pace. He was so close to his release, wanting nothing more than to spill himself inside her heat. He forced himself to wait, wanting her to orgasm with him when he found his own release. He waited for the catch in her voice before he stopped fighting his body and let go. "Come for me, Cath." He growled.

"Steve." She shouted out as she came, her inner muscles tightening around Steve's length as they both climaxed together.

Dropping a quick kiss on her lips he withdrew from her body before collapsing on the bed beside her as he attempted to draw air into his lungs. Turning his head to the side to look at Catherine who was unmoving on the bed beside him as she attempted to get air into her lungs. He grinned as he took in her flushed face and heaving chest. He was just about to lean across to kiss her when his cell began to ring. Grabbing the device from the charging dock he took note of the caller Id.

"It's HPD!" He told Catherine as he answered the call. "Hello, McGarrett."

Catherine watched as he listened to the person on the other end relaying the details. She noticed the alarm showing on his face as he pushed himself upright and swung his legs to the floor. It didn't take him long to finish the call, dropping his head forward as he rested his arms on his knees.

"Steve?" Catherine asked in concern as she knelt on the bed behind him and slipped her arms around his waist to offer him her support. "What is it?"

"Grey broke into Alicia's house." He explained on an exhale.

"Are they Okay?" Catherine asked, suddenly fearing the worst for the two women.

"Yeah. All I really know is that Alicia has shot Grey." He explained as he sat up straight and twisted around to look at Catherine. "I need to go see what's happened."

"Of course." Catherine reassured as she brushed her hand across his stubbled jaw.


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you to everyone who left such kind reviews.**

 **Here's the next chapter. It's a little continuation of the chess piece case, I felt it ended a little abruptly on the show. There's not much action in this chapter, it's pretty much all dialogue. (I'm not entirely happy with it, but I just couldn't get it to go anywhere else)**

 **Hope you enjoy the update,**

 **Wendy.**

Brown residence

Steve sighed as he threw the Silverado into park and surveyed the scene in front of him. HPD cruisers were parked outside Alicia's home, officers milling around the area as they secured the scene and kept prying neighbours at bay. Taking a deep breath to steady himself he opened the door and climbed from the truck to make his way inside.

Entering the house through the opened door he quickly spotted Alicia and Sienna huddled together on the couch in the family room. Crossing to the two women he sat on the coffee table directly in front of Alicia, leaning forward he gently asked. "What happened?"

"I killed her." Alicia said flatly, not looking at Steve as her eyes went to the Kitchen where CSU were processing the crime scene.

"Alicia! Alicia look at me!" He called softly, waiting till her eyes moved from the kitchen to fix on his face. "I want you to tell me everything, from the time I left up to you phoning HPD."

Alicia forced herself to look away from the gory scene in her kitchen as she focussed on the sound of Steve's voice, drawing strength from his presence. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly she came to a decision about what to tell him. "I did as you said and made sure I locked up properly before I went to take a shower. After my shower I went to check on Sienna to wake her for Dinner before I went to the kitchen to start on Dinner. I walked into the kitchen and put my cell down on the counter when I heard a noise behind me." She paused, wiping the tears from her face as she gathered her thoughts once more.

She knew that she had shot Madison Grey in cold blood rather than self-defence, but she couldn't tell Steve that. She had to make him believe that the other woman had come after her and she had protected herself by shooting Madison Grey. Alicia would not allow anyone to take her daughter away from her again.

"When I turned around she was just stood there in my kitchen, the gun pointed at my chest. I thought she was going to kill me, but she started to torment me with what she had planned for Sienna and me. She said she was going to take Sienna from me all over again, I had to stop her. I rushed her trying to get the gun, I managed to knock it out of her hand. It landed on the counter and I grabbed it, when I turned back to her she was coming towards me with a kitchen knife." Alicia looked away from Steve, glancing towards the kitchen once more.

"I shot her, I just kept shooting at her." She explained, knowing she had fired the gun several times. She watched as she saw her kitchen knife being bagged for evidence, relived with herself that she had had the fore thought to place the knife in Grey's hand before the first HPD cruiser had arrived. "Then I phoned HPD, and I told them to contact you."

"You did the only thing you could, Alicia." Steve reassured her as he reached out to place his hand over hers. "You were protecting Sienna and yourself."

"Thank you." Alicia said as she gave him a small smile.

"What about you, Sienna? What did you see and hear?" Steve asked as he turned his attention to the younger woman.

Sienna looked at her mother before turning back to look at Steve who had shifted his attention to her. Swiping the tears of her face with the corner of the blanket she was huddled in, she answered. "I was in my room, I didn't see anything. I just heard the gun going off, I hid in the closet."

"Okay." Steve replied, giving her a reassuring smile as he spotted Nolani from the corner of his eye. "You can't stay here tonight. Why don't you both go and pack a bag, I'll give Catherine a call and get her to put clean sheets on the bed in the guest room." He told the two women as he stood and moved across the room to speak to the medical examiner.

"What do we know?" Steve asked quietly as he reached her.

"She was shot six times, four bullets to the chest, one to the shoulder and one in the abdomen. Anyone of the chest or stomach could be the cause of death. Liver temperature does indicate that the victim has only been dead a short while, I'd estimate no more than an hour." Nolani reported to the five-0 leader.

"That would hold with the call to HPD." Steve reasoned. "Let me know as soon as you get something." Steve ordered as he pulled his cell from his pocket.

"Of course." Nolani agreed as she moved away to begin removing the body from the scene leaving the Commander to make his call.

 _"_ _Hey, Sailor. How are they?" Catherine asked as she answered the call._

"Pretty distressed by the whole ordeal. Can you make up the bed in the guest room for Alicia and Sienna?" He instructed his wife.

 _"_ _Of course." She readily agreed, knowing the two women would need somewhere to stay for a few days while CSU and the clean-up teams did their jobs. Catherine had some reservations about Alicia, who she suspected had an interest in her husband as more than just friends. Neither the less know was not the time to raise the subject with Steve._

"Thanks, Cath." He told her gratefully, turning as he heard someone approaching behind him. Seeing that it was Alicia returning, he gave the other woman a reassuring smile before returning his attention to his call.

 _"_ _You're very welcome." Catherine told him._

"I'm not sure how long I'll be, so don't wait up. Okay?" He urged, wanting her to get plenty of rest.

 _"_ _love you!" She told him softly._

"I love you too, Catherine." He replied warmly, a soft smile on his face at the thought of his wife. He frowned at the look on Alicia's face, wondering why she was looking at him so strangely. She looked hurt and angry, and Steve was suddenly left wondering whether it was something more than just the Madison Grey incident.

…

McGarrett's residence.

Steve had shown Alicia and Sienna to the guest room which Catherine had made up for them as promised. She had left the bedside lamps on, the ceiling fan gently whirring above the bed as it chased the heat from the room. After ensuring the two women had everything they needed, he bid them both good night and quietly made his way upstairs to the master bedroom.

Opening the door as quietly as he could he slipped inside the room, softly closing it behind him. A glance towards the bed telling him Catherine was sleeping soundly. Stealthily making his way around to the other side of the bed he stowed his gun and badge in his bedside drawer before placing his cell in the holder. Slipping into the bathroom he quickly stripped, tossing his clothes into the hamper as he grabbed his toothbrush and began his nightly ritual.

Returning to the bedroom he slipped into bed, moving into the centre of the mattress to spoon himself behind his wife's sleeping body. Slipping his hand around her waist, he rested his palm against her stomach as he buried his face in hair, inhaling deeply. He smiled into her hair as he heard her murmur his name softly in her sleep. Closing his eyes, he let sleep over take him.

…..

Iolani Palace.

The five members of the five-0 task force were stood around the smart table while they went through the evidence that had been taken from the home of Alicia Brown. Chin and Kono had put together a time line from statements taken from the neighbours. Steve frowned as he checked the information on the screen in front of him.

"This isn't making sense. Alicia made her 911 call at 8.00, yet the neighbours are all stating that the first shots they heard are at 8.10, and HPD received several calls from neighbours after that time." Steve commented.

"It's possible that the neighbours didn't immediately call when they heard the first shot." Chin suggested, as he attempted to work out the puzzling time line.

"Did dispatch send over the recording's?" Steve asked.

"Yeah." Kono answered as she tapped at the smart table and began playing the recording that Steve had requested.

They all listened as the call was played, Steve closing his eyes as he rested his hands on the smart table. He shook his head when the recording came to an end, a look of confusion on his face.

"Play it again, Kono." He ordered. He listened for several seconds before telling her to stop. "Stop it, go back… there … that sounds like someone talking in the background. See if you can isolate it."

"Probably the T.V." Danny suggested, brushing aside Steve's suspicion.

"I don't think so." Steve disagreed.

Kono did as requested, dubbing out the sound of Alicia's voice as she isolated the background noise and began to work on cleaning it up. Once she began to play it back they quickly identified the person in the background.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked incredulously. "Grey was still alive when Alicia made the call?"

"How do we play this?" Lou asked as he glanced around the table at the rest of the team.

"I don't know." Steve said as he looked at the screen in front of him, showing the bloody remains of Dr Madison Grey. He couldn't help but be grateful that the woman was dead after all she had put him through over the past year. His dilemma was how he dealt with the information that Alicia had lied about killing Grey in self-defence.

"We can't ignore it." Danny was quick to insist.

"Sure, we can." Lou replied.

"She killed the woman in cold blood." Danny argued as he used his hands to gesture at the screen.

Steve quickly cut him off. "Put yourself in her shoes, Danny. What would you have done if she was threatening to hurt Gracie?" Steve growled out.

"I would have arrested her." Danny snarked back, turning his attention to Steve.

"Like Reyes?" Steve asked with a quite voice as he looked at his partner. He watched as his partner visibly paled at the mention of his brother's killer. "Grey was a manipulative woman, this was all a game to her. She went to see Alicia to taunt her into killing." Steve pointed out.

"You want me to erase the search?" Kono asked as she looked back and forth between Steve and Danny.

"Yeah." Steve agreed with a nod of his head, turning to look at each member of the team. "We all in agreement?"

A chorus of yeses affirmed everyone's answer. Steve nodded his head, watching as Kono tapped away on the smart table to erase the audio file she had been working on. Although they had all agreed to close the case he still planned on speaking to Alicia.

….

McGarrett's residence.

Catherine was busy folding clothes when she heard footsteps just outside her bedroom door. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Alicia stood in the doorway. The other woman had dark circles under her eyes, telling of a sleepless night. "Morning." Catherine greeted with a small smile.

"Morning." Alicia replied, glancing briefly around the room in front of her. "I just wanted to say thank you for letting us stay last night."

"Your very welcome. How's Sienna doing?" Catherine asked as she finished folding the pile of clothes on the bed and began putting them away.

"She had a restless night, but, then we both did." Alicia admitted, her eyes coming to rest on a photograph on the dresser. Her eyes zeroed in on Steve wearing a tuxedo as he smiled into the camera, his arms wrapped around his wife. A sudden wave of bitterness came over Alicia at the thought of Steve with another woman. She had felt as if they had chemistry, they had connected on a level that she had not felt for a long time.

"It will take time for you both to process everything that's happened." Catherine gently reassured, watching Alicia as the expression on her face changed.

"Steve has been great through this whole ordeal." Alicia told her as she took a step into the room and picked up the photo from the dresser.

Catherine didn't answer as she watched the other woman. Alicia's actions were beginning to unnerve her as she waited to see what she would do next. Catherine watched as she traced a finger over the glass, almost as if she was trying to caress Steve's face. Alicia's next words had Catherine sucking in a deep breath from the pain they inflicted.

"We slept together when he stayed over." Alicia said as she continued to look at the photograph of Steve. "We spent the whole night together."

Catherine stepped closer to her, taking the photo from Alicia and placing it back on the dresser before turning back to face her. "No, you didn't." Catherine denied, trusting that Steve had remained faithful to her when he had stayed over. "I know my husband, he wouldn't have done that."

"It's the truth." Alicia insisted with a smile. "He told me he loved me and wanted us to be together."

"I don't know what your game is Alicia, but it's not going to work." Catherine hissed out. "I think it would be best if you checked into a hotel."

…..

Iolani Palace.

Steve looked up as he heard a gentle knock on his door frame. Seeing his wife leaning against the frame his face broke into a goofy grin as he quickly stood and moved to meet her. Slipping his arms around her waist he leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Everything okay?" He asked, sensing the tension in her body as he pulled back.

"Alicia has checked into a hotel." Catherine informed him as she rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his back.

"What? Why?" He asked in confusion.

"I kicked her out of the house." Catherine admitted.

"Okay." He answered, clearly confused about what might have transpired to make Catherine want Alicia and Sienna to leave.

"She told me she slept with you." She said quietly as she tilted her head, so she could see Steve's face.

"She what?" He asked outraged. "I promise you, Catherine, it's not true."

"I know." Catherine reassured him with a watery smile as she moved her hand to cover her stomach. "She claimed you'd spent the night together when you stayed over after Grey was in custody. Even if I'd have believed her, you'd spent most of the night on the phone with me."

"Yeah." He said simply, his hand slipping around to her stomach to cover her hand where it rested over their unborn baby. "I don't want anyone but you." He promised.

"Is there any reason why she would think that the two of you had a relationship?" She asked softly.

"Honestly, Cath. I have no idea why she would think we were together. The only time I've spent with her has been because of the chest piece case." He explained with a sigh. "I'll talk to her."

They were both prevented from saying anything else on the subject by a soft knock on the door.

"The lab report's in." Danny said as he sauntered into Steve's office.

"I'll let you get back to work." Catherine said as she quickly kissed Steve and disentangled herself from his embrace. "I'll see you later." She promised as she slipped out of the office and after waving goodbye to the rest of the team headed down the corridor towards the doors of five-0.

"Everything okay?" Danny wanted to know as he watched Catherine exit. He'd seen his partners wife arriving, she'd looked upset as she'd let herself into Steve's office and into his arms.

"Cath's kicked Alicia and Sienna out of the house after Alicia told Catherine I'd slept with her." Steve admitted as he left his office.

"You what? Of all the stupid things." Danny ranted as he followed behind Steve.

Steve quickly rounded on Danny as he growled out. "I have not slept with her."

"Why the hell would she tell Catherine that you had, if you haven't?" Danny continued, not backing down.

"How the hell should I know." Steve snarled as he turned his back on Danny and marched over to the smart table with the other man following behind.

"What about Catherine?" Danny asked tentatively wondering how she had reacted to the news with her husband. "She didn't look as if she wanted to kill you." He joked.

"She didn't believe her. Thankfully my wife knows I would never cheat on her, especially as I was on the phone with her most of the night." Steve finished explaining as he turned his full attention to the rest of the team. "What did the lab get? He asked closing the subject and getting back to work.

….

Hilton Hotel.

Steve knocked at the hotel room door and waited for it to be opened. He didn't wait long for it to swing open, revealing a smiling Alicia. Tapping the file, he was carrying against his leg, he asked. "Can I come in.?"

"Of course." She said as she moved aside and allowed him to enter the room. "Sienna's on the balcony." She explained as she saw him glancing around the room.

"That's okay. I wanted to speak to you alone." He told her as he turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you know I'd checked into a hotel. I just couldn't stay at your house any longer, especially when your wife started accused me of sleeping with you." Alicia quickly lied.

"Funny that you should mention that, Catherine told me a different story. I'm more inclined to believe my wife's version of events, Alicia. Catherine knew I was spending the night on your couch because I spent most of that night on the phone to her." He said as he stared at her. "You and me, never going to happen." He told her bluntly, watching as she swallowed and turned away from him.

"I thought we made a good team, we connected on a level that surpassed anything I'd ever experienced before. Are you honestly telling me that was all one sided?" She asked with her back to him as she stared out of the window.

"We've never been more than friends, Alicia. It's because of that, that I'm here now. The lab report and the witness statements contradict practically everything you told me. How about you stop lying to me and tell me the truth." Steve said, opening the file and holding it out to her when she turned to face him once more.

"Grey was still alive when you phoned HPD, there was no fight for the gun. She didn't come at you with a knife, did she?" He asked when she didn't answer him. "You shot her, then you tried to stage the scene. The prints CSU pulled from the knife, clearly state that Grey's prints transferred onto the knife after the blood came into contact with the handle. That can only mean one thing, you placed the knife in her hand after you had shot her."

"She taunted me with Sienna. That's how I let her get in to my head." Alicia explained, glancing towards the balcony door. "I'd like to say goodbye to Sienna, before you arrest me." She requested.

"I'm not here to arrest you. As far as HPD are concerned, we caught the chess piece killer, case closed. CSU have finished with your house, I think you'd do well to sell up and make a fresh start somewhere else." He suggested.

"Thank you." Alicia said as she took a step towards him and gave him a hug. "Thank you for everything you've done for Sienna and myself."

"Good luck." He told her as he awkwardly returned the hug, before stepping back and dropping the file on the dresser as he moved towards the door.

After letting himself out of the room he sauntered down the corridor towards the elevator, pulling out his cell as he placed a call to his wife. After the day's events he felt the need to reassure Catherine that she was the most important person in his life. He didn't wait long for the call to be answered.

 _"_ _Hey, sailor." She said as she answered._

"I'm on my way home. Get dressed up, I'm taking you out to dinner." He promised, already planning everything in his head.


End file.
